“every colour
harbors its own soul”
-emil nolde
following years of rust dyeing, i finally decided to delve into the mysteries of eco dyeing and chose the “dirty pot” method for my first experiments. having found a lovely old oval aluminium pot at a charity shop, i dug through my stash of rusty iron bits and came up with a couple rusted horse shoes to donate to the cause. add in some fresh spring water, a pint (-ish, i am not much of a measurer) of vinegar and a fistful of mostly brown onion skins (a few red ones fell into the mix just because they are mischievous that way,), and it was ready to begin its magic!
whilst that concoction was busy bubbling and toiling its way to magical perfection, i raided my stash of scrap cottons and linens. being unfamiliar with this process and uncertain of its outcomes, i grabbed a handful of the most hideous vintage linen hankies i could find (so i would not mourn their demise should things go all pear shaped) and assorted quilting cotton strips ripped to true up edges and other random scraps, one a textured cotton and another a bit of lovely handwoven hemp cloth.
again, not having any experience, i forged ahead, ignoring all the “rules” i had read about (you know me, i simply detest rules!) and rolled half of my clothy treasures up, sprinkled with more onion skin fragments, into a semi-tight bundle. i tied it up with some cotton thread, thinking it would make wonderful variegated thread for embroidering with later on, and then contemplated the next bunch. this second group of scraps and abominable lacy linen hankies (ick!) i decided not to roll (being the rebel role breaking fiend that i am) and just scrunched them all piggety wigglety and tied them up with more cotton thread!
then into the roiling concoction these bundles went to undergo their magical transformation! four hours of bubbling and boiling they went with only the occasional respite as fresh water was added to replenish the levels. it looked a right mess, all blackened and muddy. even the onion skins had turned a terrifyingly deep black from the chemical reaction with the rusted iron! i resolutely pressed on and allowed the muck the grace to do what it was going to do, all the while now fully convinced it would end up chucked in the wheely bin in its entirety when all was said and done.
not having the forethought to acquire tongs or serving spoons i could dedicate to this process, i could not immediately fish the bundles from their steaming brew, so i shut off the burner, covered the dirty pot (by now the rusty vinegar smell was rather potent, explaining why so many of the videos i had watched about dirty dyeing were shot outdoors) and let them cool.
an hour or so later, my bundles were scooped out of the muck, squeezed and laid out on the deck to dry overnight (look at me, following rules for once!). settled in on the davenport at the kitchen table with a fresh cup of steaming chai in hand, i contemplated the day’s labor and wondered whether it would all be a success or a great wholloping waste of time? drip. drop. splutter. splatter. it began to rain. rain! eyes rolling, i huffed outside to gather my precious (or worthless?) bundles in from the offending skywater threatening to foil my day’s adventures. no more fannying about, breaking the one rule i actually attempted to follow, i unbundled my bundles here and now (back to rule breaking!). in my agitation i completely forgot about the why’s of my using cotton thread to tie them up, i broke those threads apart (sorry, dear future embroideries) and freed the most gorgeous scraps of murky greens, stormy grays, and redolent reds! my day’s endeavors were not wasted and i now have my first lot of lovely eco dyed scraps to play with!
even more fortuitous for this newly emboldened eco dyer, my lovely fiancé came home and grumbled about the smell and set to making a lovely lamb and roasted veg supper, filling our home with delicious smells and our bellies with delightful goodness!
i could not have asked for a better way to end my week off!
