This leaf spirit oversees the back gardens from a blue spruce trunk. The tree itself has gone to the great beyond, but for this 7' section of trunk. And nearly all the bark on it has fallen off -- another large section last weekend. I still miss this tree.
Wondering if material collected from a long-dead tree will have any color at all? I'm hoping, but that may be my naiveté -- not a lot of critical thinking going on here! I'll try infusing a few pieces in boiling water, as India Flint mentions in Eco-Colour, before spending too much time on it. It can always be broken up for a nice homemade bark mulch.
When clearing out a drawer this morning, I came across a couple of packages of very old incense. This reddish one was labeled "dragon's blood" -- I'm not sure if that's a folk name for a plant or what. Another thing to look up. But I thought I'd give it a whirl as a dye. Realizing it probably contains a trace of essential oil, I still tried to mix it with water -- it didn't really dissolve but didn't stay afloat either so maybe a better description would be that it absorbed the water while staying grainy. Spread it on silk, misted with vinegar as mordant, rolled it up. Will leave it in a jar on the counter to be unrolled on a full moon. Seem like a possibility? Has anyone ever dyed with old incense successfully?
On another note, today International Women's Day is celebrating 100 years in existence in over 100 countries from Sierra Leone to right here in the U.S. If you visit this website, you can enter your country and city and find events that inspire and celebrate women's achievements. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp
Once there, you'll see cool notices on the side bar like this:
INDIA: Air India apparently running all-women crew flights on International Women's Day!
I really liked this from an article by Kari Henley over at the Huffington Post : "Who is the oldest living woman you know? Make a point to get in touch with her this week -- give her a call or pay her a visit. Maybe show up with some flowers, or a card, and ask her to tell you what her life was like as a woman when she was young. For it is upon the shoulders of these foremothers we all stand today, and they cannot be recognized enough."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kari-henley/international-womens-day_b_831499.html
Lastly, this short video of beautiful women, all.
No I haven't try dyeing with incense. You are a genius Peggy. It looks good to me and I thing it will give you beautiful color. Happy Women Day to you - Hugs Nat
ReplyDeleteNat, just figured it was worth a try. Ya' never know!
ReplyDeleteHappy Women's Day to you, too! We've come a long way, baby.