NATURAL DYES

I have been researching natural dyes like crazy the last few weeks, ordered several books and visited countless websites/blogs to find out as much information as possible. It's half term next week so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to have pots of dye bubbling continuously!

These are a list of ingredients to buy-that can be found in your back garden or nearest supermarket:

• Brown and red onion-skins
• Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Roses-petals
• Lavender 
• Red Cabbage
• Beets (beetroot)
• Turmeric
• Avocado-skins and stone
• Cowparsely 
• Pomegranate
• Birch bark
• Foxglove-flowers
• Bay leaves
• Celery leaves
• Paprika

To fix the dye to the fabrics several methods can be used. Through research I have found these fixatives:

• For Berries use 1/2 cup of salt to 8 cups of cold water
• For plant dyes use 4 parts cold water to 1 part vinegar
• Roses and lavender it is best to activate alkaloids by using a bit of mint and lemon juice
• You can also use Alum or Cream of tartar which can be brought in the cooking ingredients isle

I will be posting my results very soon!

COUNTRY GARDEN

It's that time of year when everything is reviving itself after the winter. Here are a few photos of my garden. Lots of little arrangements of pots and flowers in every corner of the garden. The photo on the left is my favourite area of the garden, with the little bay tree and rhubarb planting pots.

How to make paper

First you want to collect recycled envelopes, newspapers, scrap papers,

cardboard etc. and if you want, add to boiled plants like nettles, blackberries,

raspberry's etc. If not then tear the papers up and cover them in water to boil.
Once the papers begin to tear away from one another blender the mixture.

 You can also add fibres like from the hoover or even the tumble

 dryer to create paper full of textures and fibres.

 Then pour the mixture into a large sink or tub and fill it up with at least

 over halfway of water.

Using a metal mesh run it through the water so the mesh is coated in the

mixture.

Place the mesh onto a board with the mixture side up, and lay a jay

 cloth over the top to help draw the liquid out. You want to apply

a lot of pressure so I would put a board over the top and stand on

it. Then peel the mesh off and the mixture should stay on the jay cloth,

leave out until completely dry and peel the paper away from the cloth.

On the left is the nettle paper and on the right is blackberries with pressed

flowers. As you can see there are lots of tickets in the paper as

this was part of my summer project.