Since reading India Flint’s wonderful book Eco-Colour (2008), I have spent many an hour experimenting with her concept of the eco-print. Flint focuses on printing on wool and silk, and I highly recommend her books and blog. Since I do much more sewing with cotton, linen and hemp (and have made only a few special things from silk and wool)… I have experimented at length to get eucalyptus leaf prints onto cotton and linen fabrics. More of that later. But recently I leaf printed some woolen thermal underwear for a friend (and couldn’t wait for sun to take a picture before I handed them to her–I’m impatient that way). But I also dyed this for myself… Colour me happy with the result!
Local & Bespoke 
beautiful colour and leaf prints…. do you know what type of eucalyptus ?
Wendi
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Thanks! No, I don’t confidently know what variety this tree is. It’s the one I’ve been protecting with bunting in the later posts. I’ve taken all the observations of this tree that I know how to take and even with CSIRO’s Euclid database, I haven’t been able to identify it. Someone at my Guild has offered that she knows someone who could identify it for me. So when she gets back from her current travels, I have a package of leaves, stems, buds, fruit for her. I hope to know its name in the future!
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What a beautiful outcome of the leaf prints, strong outline and rich color. Could I know if you add mordant and how long did you steam or boil? Really a gorgeous piece.
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Thanks, Terrie. This print is on merino fabric, so I have used no mordant and simmered the fabric (submerged) for about 3 hours.
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The shirt is beautiful! You know an online store where a white merino shirt could be purchased? Thank you.
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Thanks so much! I bought these shirts at a chain store where they were sold as thermal underwear. But at the moment, it is midsummer here so they will not be for sale. Sorry Olesya, I don’t know where to send you!
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three hours! oh, I have never tried more than an hour .. so maybe I should try 3 hours with some of my uk eucalypts!
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No harm in experimenting… Thin, soft leaves will disintegrate totally if cooked for too long. But some leaves take a long while and some bundles are denser than others.
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Hi,
I just wanted to thank and congratulate you for your efforts to save some of our beautiful large trees. I live in the TTG council area and i’m sure they get as tired of reading my emails as i do of sending them, but the only result i get is that they ring me up and tell me – very politely – how much they care about the wildlife and why they had to cut down (or mutilate) the tree/s in question. I’m thinking seriously of developing my own series of “Beloved Tree” banners in the hope that they might inspire a tree-hugging spirit in some of the locals. I’m told Hans Heysen used to *buy* his favourite trees to protect them 🙂
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Thanks so much, Bethany! It is always a pleasure to meet another tree lover. As I write, the trees our Council promised to plant in autumn are finally going in, in our street. You can bet I have been burning their ears in an effort to have them planted prior to our first 35C day and failed…but at least they are going in at last. I think if they do nothing else, the beloved tree banners have heartened other tree lovers in our neighbourhood. Cheering you on! Mary
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My daughter Michelle lives in the TTG area and she is a great tree hugger spends loads of time at Anstey Hill
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I am always delighted to hear of other tree lovers! Thanks for stopping by. Your felting looks amazing!
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