Tag Archives: tansy

December 22, 2019 · 8:22 pm

Dyeing cotton

A while back, I tried a new mordanting strategy I read about and tried some plain dyeing of cotton fabric. Scouring and mordanting processes completed, I took advantage of dyes as they presented themselves. Above, dried out pomegranates picked from under the tree at my hairdresser’s place.

Alder cones, picked up from the footpath and driveway outside the house with the alder.

Then I pruned my tansy. And here are my dyed cottons. I’m not a huge fan of the pastels, and I don’t usually set out to create them–but I thought I’d try stretching myself! Now I need to work out what I’ll do with them. And quite possibly, I’ll return to my previous cotton preparation strategies.

In the image above, from top to bottom we have: pomegranate rind; Virginia creeper berries; acorn (second extraction); alder cones and tansy leaf. The Virginia Creeper was a total experiment I should have researched further. I found research on this plant in the Threadborne blog, for those who may be curious.

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January 4, 2019 · 7:31 pm

End of year guerilla and dye gardens

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My last guerilla gardening act of the year was to go for a walk in the neighbourhood and scatter the seeds that had not made it into my spring plantings. Maybe they won’t grow but at least they have the chance, and I’m keeping my saved seed turning over.

The seedlings are doing well. Hard to believe the one on the left will become a huge tree and the one on the right will become a spreading prostrate wattle!

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In the dye garden, everything has been doing well. We’ve had only one really punishing day of 42C so far this summer –so things are looking good for now. The daylilies have bloomed beautifully.

The Japanese Indigo came up well, and now the task is to keep it alive through summer.  This time I planted some in pots to see if it does any better than in beside the vegetables. The tiny marigolds in the centre picture are flowering now, and a friend from the Guild has given me some dye marigolds that grow to two metres.  They have managed the vegie beds so far! The madder, on the right, is rampant.

The kangaroo paws have done well. The birch trees are barely holding on because brushtail possums are eating their leaves so enthusiastically.  The tansy is big enough for me to use it this year.

Our Eucalyptus Scoparia has suffered from the possums even more than the birches!  But it is still alive and we are trying our third strategy for keeping the possums at bay.  I have enough woad to create woad vats this summer!  And I’ve saved seed from the dark hollyhocks.

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And–this year I’ve seen skinks and geckos but also this wonderful creature!  Something is working well in our backyard.

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