Author Archives: Margaret Ford

Stitched and Bound!

Posted on April 24, 2017

Yesterday I blogged about giving a short lesson to members of WAFTA on natural dyeing and eco-printing. What do I  do with all the fabric I produce? Today I am recording my absolute pleasure at having had my entry into … Continue reading →

Posted in casuarina dyeing, Design, Eucalyptus sp as dye, exhibiting, fabric collage, Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, kangaroo paw as dye, Murraya paniculata (orange jessamine) as dye, Natural dyeing, patchwork | 6 Comments

An Eco-printing “taster” for WAFTA

Posted on April 23, 2017

I was delighted to be asked to do a  half day introduction to eco-printing for the Western Australian Fibre and Textile Association (WAFTA) three weeks ago.  WAFTA wanted to expose its members to a whole range of skills that they … Continue reading →

Posted in casuarina dyeing, dyeing with red onion, Eucalyptus sp as dye, Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, kangaroo paw as dye, Murraya paniculata (orange jessamine) as dye, Natural dyeing, purple carrots as dyes | Leave a comment

Published again!

Posted on December 4, 2016

I am so pleased that Louise Wells’ article about four Western Australian textile artists was accepted by  Down Under Textiles in Issue 26 of 2016. This is a magazine which produces glorious quality images and is happy to publish local … Continue reading →

Posted in bead crochet, Design, exhibiting, freeform crocheting, WAFTA | 2 Comments

The Cotton/Linen Dyeing Problem

Posted on November 21, 2016

Silk is a cinch.  Right?  Prints beautifully. Cellulose fibres, on the other hand, are more problematic.  So I want to master them in eco-printing.  India Flint’s Eco-Colour has some guidance on soaking cottons and linens in supermarket soy milk products.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Eucalyptus sp as dye, Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing, purple carrots as dyes, soy milk mordant for cellulose fibres | 3 Comments

Vine leaves and geranium fabric printing

Posted on November 5, 2016

My friend  Louise Wells didn’t just bring delicious smoked salmon blinis to Melbourne Cup lunch last Tuesday.  She brought a large bag of garden cuttings.  Among them, vine leaves. So I had a little go at bundling some of them … Continue reading →

Posted in Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing, vine leaf printing | Leave a comment

Adding iron to an onion pot

Posted on November 3, 2016

  This post is about two things.  First: the wonders of iron in a pot (thank you Jane Flower!).  Second: rose leaves (thank you Louise Wells for the latest batch!) I am building up a store of silk with eco-prints … Continue reading →

Posted in casuarina dyeing, dyeing with red onion, Eucalyptus sp as dye, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing, Rose leaves | 3 Comments

Dyeing used silk by simmering: 3 lessons

Posted on October 29, 2016

I decided to give the steamer a break and make an onion dye bath in the boiler. Before bundling local and garden material around sticks, I rinsed each piece of silk in a dilute iron water solution (see Lesson 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in dyeing with red onion, Eucalyptus sp as dye, Murraya paniculata (orange jessamine) as dye, Natural dyeing | Leave a comment