I get asked often if the method I shared in my first eco-printing ebook, Gum Leaf Alchemy, will also work with other types of leaves beyond eucalyptus. I have spent many months experimenting with every leaf I could get my hands on, and now I can say for sure that yes it will! Most of the […]
The Leaf Guide ebook: sample pages Read More »
Combining shibori and eco-printing methods can create dynamic designs that have both structured and organic elements. To create this design, I used woollen thermal garments, eucalyptus leaves, wooden boards and string. Here’s the bundle fresh from the dye bath: The eucalyptus leaves were placed onto wool, which was then folded up using a simple shibori
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I’ve been doing tests of leaves that eco-print well on cotton. This tshirt was eco-printed with a range of deciduous leaves, using the method described in Gum Leaf Alchemy. The leaves have produced a range of greens and blues. The leaves used include: maple, rose, blackberry, tulip tree and liquidambar. Discover more about eco-printing with
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Eco-printing on paper is a fun and easy way to introduce children to the wonders of natural dyeing or to get started with it yourself. Here’s a tutorial for one particular method, using autumn leaves. Autumn leaves print particularly well because they are high in tannins and carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments, which all give colour.
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I’ve been busy testing a range of different leaves, using the eco-printing method described in my first ebook. Although that ebook focuses on eucalyptus leaves, which are still my favourite, the method works well for many other leaves. This is a sampler of mixed deciduous leaves: oak, blackberry, cotinus (smokebush) and two types of maple.
Deciduous leaves eco-print Read More »
Last weekend I ran my first full-day eco-printing on cotton workshop. I had a lovely group of enthusiastic women join me at my house to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of this method of natural dyeing. We spent the morning talking about choosing and preparing leaves and fabric and making a mordant. I demonstrated
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St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an incredible plant. It can be identified by crushing the flower buds, which will release a beautiful deep plum liquid. This colour comes from hypericin, which gives an indication of the plant’s dyeing potential and is also one of its medicinal constituents. The flowers and top few centimetres of each
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I’ve been wanting to try dyeing with Australian indigo (Indigofera australis) for a long time. I’ve got a small bush growing but it is still too young for harvesting. So I was very excited when some friends offered me clippings from their huge plant. There are a few tutorials online specifically for Australian indigo, at
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Maple leaves are high in tannins and so are well-suited to the eco-print process. Tannins help natural dyes bond to fabric and often also impart colour. Tannin levels increase over the growing season. So maple leaves picked in autumn will print more vividly than those picked in spring. The different sides of maple leaves produce
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Eco-printing on paper is a fast, easy and satisfying way to get started with this wonderful craft process. You don’t need much in the way of special tools or equipment and you can experiment with the plants growing around you. This tutorial shares a particularly simple yet effective method for eco-printing on paper, using a
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