Category Archives: Eucalyptus sp as dye

Contemporary Quilts: The Challenge to Make a Point

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Margaret Ford

Bear with me, this is a long and indulgent blog. At a recent meeting of the Contemporary Quilt Group (contemporarywa.wordpress.com/about/) of the Western Australian Quilters’ Association (https://www.waquilters.com) our speaker issued a challenge. After a thoughtful presentation to us all about … Continue reading →

Posted in brown onion as dye, casuarina dyeing, cochineal dyeing, Design, dyeing with avocado pips, dyeing with red onion, Eucalyptus sp as dye, exhibiting, Geranium leaf printing, Machine quilting, Natural dyeing, patchwork | 8 Comments

A Coreopsis Opportunity

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Margaret Ford

A couple of weekends ago WAFTA (http://www.wafta.com.au) was invited to an Open Garden in Victoria Park here in Western Australia.  The organisers had the foresight to ask us  to complement the beautiful garden beds with demonstrations of how fabric can … Continue reading →

Posted in dyeing with red onion, Eucalyptus cinerea as dye, Eucalyptus sp as dye, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing, purple carrots as dyes | 1 Comment

Stitched and Bound!

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Margaret Ford

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 by Margaret Ford

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

The Cotton/Linen Dyeing Problem

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Margaret Ford

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

Adding iron to an onion pot

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Margaret Ford

  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 by Margaret Ford

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

Walking has its benefits

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Margaret Ford

If I have to take my ageing legs for a walk I figure I might as well go somewhere interesting.  My current favourite destination right now  is the Bayswater wetlands, not far from my place.The wetlands are under threat from … Continue reading →

Posted in Eucalyptus sp as dye, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing | 2 Comments

Natural dyeing with local material

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Margaret Ford

In her book Eco Colour, India Flint argues for collecting only fallen plant material for dyeing and using local plants as a record of “place”. On my walk today in the local wetland and riverside park  I picked up a … Continue reading →

Posted in casuarina dyeing, Eucalyptus sp as dye, Natural dyeing, Uncategorized | 3 Comments