Who doesn’t love a surprise? Surprises for me often come in the way of colour, shapes, light and dark forms from nature, plants, experiments in the dye pot. Our way of “not knowing” when we dye fabric or paper means that we are open to new things and approach things with a beginners mind. So when magic happens, it is truly a delight rather than a planned outcome. Sometimes a challenging space to hold but it’s very much worth giving the dominating mind a back seat for a while.
A friend recently gave me some very red geraniums from her garden. I haven’t had too much luck with flowers when bundles are submerged in the dye pot, so I thought I’d give steaming a go. It almost wasn’t a surprise with the colour that started bleeding through the silk before it had even been put in the steamer. A deep magenta started seeping through and I was so excited. I could barely wait to steam it and then wait 24 hours.
I felt like a kid at Christmas staring at presents I couldn’t open yet.. …. .. …… are we there yet..?
The results when I unbundled were stunning – beautiful light to deep pinks and a soft beige as well. They speak for themselves don’t they?
All I can say is long flower Nicole’s geraniums and I hope my cuttings flourish so we can keep bringing you these treasures!
