26.10.09

Saddening the Dye

saddening the dye

iron modifier

Iron is said to 'sadden' colours when used as a mordant or modifier on plant-dyed fabrics. I tried it with the silk I dyed earlier in the autumn and some lovely muted, greyed colours emerged.

The larger samples in the notebook were dipped in the iron water and the smaller pieces next to them are the originals. It had only little effect on indigo, madder and logwood but changed the 'local' dyes (like walnut, birch leaves or elderberries) more dramatically.

October

October has been saddening colours around here too...

3 comments:

ger said...

Wonderful sample-photos... I enjoyed my recent iron dye experiments (just stumpled upon it by throwing some in the dye, from a near empty packet of pills I didn´t like to take any more...) + certainly will do it again...

suzie chaney said...

beautiful images; and I love that expression, saddening colours.....

Eva said...

ger - do you mean pills of iron? that's interesting...

suzie - thank you, I like the expression too.