22
May
Hawthorn Berries 3 rivers dye samples
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Tarka Trail - Hawthorne Dye Bath Preparation 1 Using berries from Tarka Trail foraging trip along River Taw - found by ditch and field - growing through hazelnut, with briars and nettles. Soak berries for 2-3 days. Boil and simmer for 2 hours, adding water. Mash berries, remove pulp. Soak silk in dye bath pot overnight or for two days. The longer soaked, the darker and stronger the colour.
River Otter - Hawthorne Dye Bath Prep 2. Using berries from River Otter banks Hawthorne berries soaked 2 days, boiled, mashed and drained to leave brown liquid. Two silk samples added to dye liquid when cooled to hand hot (to avoid roughening of silks) - soaked in a wide copper pot for a day and overnight. Wash out in gentle hand wash liquid. One sample was cream, and one was a weak dull pale grey woad dyed piece, included to change to a stronger colour. This gave a browny-khaki result.
Variations in dyebath results, where both sessions used pond rain water. Secondary session: Two silk samples were stained with blue marks from being placed together in copper dye bath where residue from one being woad dyed may have affected the other. Or the copper pot may have affected them; or combination of folds/woad residue/copper. I may have left the berries soaking longer, or the different river bases produce a different colour.
River Exe - Hawthorn Berry Dye Bath Session 3 - ONE
Update: 3rd session using River Exe berries gave different light mauve result but was fugitive after washing out in tap water. pH needs correction to lower number by modifying towards acid. (not done) (see top image).
Session 3 - TWO Used remaining dye bath from Session 2 with additional apple peels added to pot and reboiled. Subsequent dye baths from a set of berries, becomes more golden, as the red element is absorbed by the silk in the first dye bath. The dye bath used twice before, still produced a light peach. The two silk top pieces were placed in dye bath a few minutes before the larger piece and absorbed more of the dye at that point. NOTE: some dyes will be absorbed and fixed immediately. Subsequently the longer piece is a lighter tone.
Results: River Exe Hawthorn Berry Dye Baths SESSION ONE: The green has remained, the mauve has turned more beige, the silver has remained. (indoor cool photography) SESSION TWO: The two beiges lost their original dyed peachy-lilac appearance (see above), but are still good as dulled pale beige with hint of peach, as a background to colourful silk painting over.
I have a combination collection of print fabrics which the lastly hawthorn-apple dyed silk will become a component with - in a new garment; (which will be linked here in due course.)
Centre silk is hawthorn berry dyed and matches perfectly with colours in the dress print (left). Taken out of sunshine, silk looks beige, but is warmer tone. Prints are brighter, and the matching will work perfectly for a silk painting base.
