It seems appropriate on a driech day like today to post about ‘saddening’—using iron to darken and mute the colours of naturally-dyed wool. ‘To sadden’ really is the best verb for it. Because iron can damage fibres, it’s best to only use a very small amount in proportion to the fibres, such as 2% weight…
Needle-felted Gifts
It’s a bit of a grim time in UK politics, and making beautiful things in response is not (only) a welcome distraction, it’s also a mode of resistance. Audre Lorde wrote ‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare‘. I’d add that small acts of caring for…
Dyeing with Queen Anne’s Lace
One of my first attempts at dyeing with plant matter I had foraged (as opposed to bought or smiled sweetly at my veg box delivery man for) was the leaves of wild carrot, or Queen Anne’s Lace, back in March. I remembered Julia saying that plants of the carrot family yield dye, so when I…
Dyeing with Hawthorn
We are lucky enough to have a hawthorn tree growing in our front garden. Indeed, it was one of the reasons we decided to rent this house. Our wee tree, from which we hang feeders for the birds, is resplendent in blossom at the moment. Hawthorn blossom is also known as May blossom, and is…
Hello!
I started this blog to document my experiments in natural dyeing — mostly with plants I forage while walking Rowan or home from the bus stop — and the things I make from the results. In October 2015 I took a natural dyeing class with Julia Billings at Glasgow Botanic Gardens. I had previously dabbled…
Anna Fisk 