red geraniums did it again

There's a lot you can do, dye-wise, with red geraniums (pelargonium). This is one plant that puts all of us, whether in the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere, in the same season. Most of us in the Northern have geraniums over-wintering under plant lights or by a sunny window, and those in the Southern have them outside where they belong! But they bloom no matter where they are, these sweethearts.

This is white silk on which I laid semi-dried oak leaves and sprinkled red geranium flower petals all over. Then it was tightly rolled, tied, and steamed, 20 minutes on two consecutive days, over boiling water. As a mordant, about 1/2 t. alum was sprinkled in the water and the pot was aluminum as well. I just left it on the counter in between steaming sessions, then let it dry completely before unrolling and ironing.

voilà! -- red geranium/oak leaf dyed silk

There is a plan in the works for this silk and some other silks from the dye-pot. And the Rumi cloth. I'm not exactly sure how, but somehow these pieces will be parts of a new whole.

rumi cloth, marigold silk, red geranium/oak leaf silk, elderberry/orange marigold silk