how to print silk with natural articles in a very humble non scientific amateur way, which may lead to some

lovely discoveries of colour and experience…

learnt from my lovely creative mother in law (illegal) in the style of India Flint

i gathered  these simple materials for my bush camp dyeing experience…

some silk, leaves, flowers, onion skin, a rusty bottle top, string and a rusty old camp oven (the iron reacts with the ingredients to enhance darker colors and give you a bit of extra magic, saying which, any big non food pot will do) with a stick which fits inside it…

lay out your natural gatherings (being mindful of what and where you gather) along your silk, fold to the width of your stick

roll it all up and wrap as tight as you can with some strong string…

fill your pot with water enough to cover your bundle… I was lucky to get pure mountain water…

heat your goodies now. i generally go to boiling temp but not actually bubbling for about an hour, then remove from heat and let sit overnight or longer..

when you can no longer wait the next day, open it up!

mm looks suspicious

enjoy the surprise of opening your bundle

yay something happened!!

give it a quick and gentle rinse

hang in the shade to dry

where does the silk end and the tree begin

the colors are perfectly matched to our environment!

a bush pixie got squished in

i did another bundle the following night, using the same water, and yielded much darker shades

and some beautiful leaf prints

i also cleverly have printed leaves onto our awning!

place on leaves, make damp with night dew, roll it up tight and leave in the sun for days and days!