After fooling around with my free Dharma scarf for several dye baths I decided I wanted a finished piece to give my Mummy.
So, seeing as she loves the colour red I thought I’d use the purple sandcherry, which gives redish dye and throw in some dried oregano that I had for good measure. I was going to add red onion skins but I completely forgot.
I spritzed down the scarf with my half and half vinegar and water mix and then laid out the purple sandcherry and dried oregano alternately
This was steamed in the water from the last steaming – now a murky black liquid, I think the iris drippings reacted with the iron overnight and continuous steamings – for half an hour and then allowed to cool before it was unrolled.
The resulting colour was again nothing like I expected.
Again came the blue greens where I thought I would have reds and purples.
Please some one help me out! Is it the alum? The iron? The hodge podge mix?
Not that I minded the resultant glorious dark green with blacks, midnight blues and purply reds in spots.
I was going to let the scarf dry but then thought I would iron it to heat set the colour. A good rinse came next and I thought I was going to lose all the colour because of the amount that came out in the water. A lot of the bluer greens came out and it toned down quite a bit but there was more than enough colour remaining for me.
The iron was applied a second time and then a final rinse.
I’m so pleased I tried the oregano. It turned out beautifully.
The first 9 pictures are unwashed and then the last 3 are of the scarf in its final ness
