Natural Dye Report, etc.

Borscht and Natural Dye
The smells of onions and red cabbage cooking were eminating from my classroom last week when we started the natural dyeing module of the surface design class. Onion skins produced a beautiful apricot color on fleece and on silks. The red cabbage created a pale orchid color on silk, but the fleece didn't take much color. Later when the orchid silk was rinsed and dry, we dipped swatches if it into soda ash solution. It immediately turned a stronger turquoisey-gray color. Dipping it in a vinegar solution turned it more pinkish. Both effects were wash-proof. The blue effect has enough contrast for resist pattern possibilities....
This week we cooked up some cutch, a resin from the acacia tree. It made a beautiful tobacco brown on silk and wool. Natural dyeing isn't that hard. It's a lot like cooking. You put the right ingredients in the pot, simmer, strain, cool, add fabric simmer, cool, rinse. The challenge is to do it all in a 3 hour class! (A weekend workshop would be a better venue. ) Next week we'll try rosemary and also eucalyptus leaves, which one student is kindly cooking up at home in advance.
All of the colors from the natural dyes are soft and a bit muted. They mix and match wonderfully together.

Make a Felt Purse in Berkeley this Saturday
There is still room in my introduction to feltmaking class at Knit-One-One, 1 - 4 PM on September 12th. You'll learn several basic felting techniques, including needlefelting, while making a felt purse or pouch . $44 + $8 supply fee. Call 510-420-8706 to join the felting frenzy.

The Obama Quilt Keeps on Movin'
I've just received word that my quilt made in celebration of the election (see first blog post) will be in a year-long exhibit at the National Museum of African American Art ( I think that's the actual name..) in Wilberforce Ohio starting in December. Before that it will be on view at the New Quilts of Northern California exhibit at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara in mid-October.