I purchased some more pieces of white mohair to play around with, took Chelsea for a walk down to the supermarket this afternoon and purchased some items I thought might yield some interesting colours. I'd read that celery gave a soft yellow-green colour. So I got some of that. Then I saw some lovely black grapes (popped them in the basket) and while I was on that train of thought, threw some plums in as well.
So, over the last few hours I have tried dying mohair with
* Boiled celery leaves - UNSUCCESSFUL
* Plum skins - UNSUCCESSFUL
* Cocoa powder - UNSUCCESSFUL
* Black grape skins rubbed into fur pile - WORKS! (you get a patchy dull lilac colour after rinsing)
* Boiled black grapes - ALSO WORKS! (you get a dusky grey colour with just a hint of lavender)
* Boiled tea (both regular and peppermint) - WORKS! (this gives a soft caramel-mustard colouring after being washed).
This is the colour of the tea-dyed mohair after it has been rinsed. Quite similar to the brown onion skins I tried earlier - maybe not quite as vibrant though.
This the the grape skins being rubbed into the backing of the mohair.
This is the colour of the mohair after the grape skins had been rubbed in and allowed to sit for 20mins, then rinsed.
This is the boiled grape-dyed piece against the original white of the mohair.
I quite like that final piece Emma ... looks quite subtle. You look like you are having lots of fun experimenting with all these dyes.
ReplyDeleteWarmest Hugs,
Sandi @ Bearly Sane
P.S. I meant to say your celery leaves would have come up better if you had used a mordant...but like youself, I tend to keep it simple too.
ReplyDeleteI also like the color in the final photo. Have to add that when I saw the first photo with mohair in the pot, I was reminded of the chicken breasts I simmered for dinner last night! LOL
ReplyDeleteHave a go at dyeing with elderberries.
ReplyDeleteThe more onion skins you have the deeper the dye.
Red onions work best :-)
x x x