colour experiments

–the peeled bark from mahonia aquifolium was soaked for only 3 days before it was simmered for one hour, left to cool, strained and then used to dyed silk fabric, cotton and 2 ply handspun merino wool. They were all mordanted in alum.

more yellow!  The lighter silk fabric was removed from the dye pot after it had cooled,  the other was left overnight. It makes a considerable difference.

This linen damask napkin was first simmered in a dye bath of ammonia fermented lichen without any noticable colour change. It was then wrapped around a lichen covered tree branch and left for 2 weeks. Now I will wrap it around the mahonia stems, which I have split so that the colour inside the core is exposed. 

Now to wait patiently.