nichepoetryandprose

On April 9, I tried dyeing white silk with dried rose petals.

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rose petals, scattered on the silk

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Originally, I intended to let the colour develop for at least a month on the silk in my pickle jar.  But curiosity got the better of me after six days.  Colour had developed in the first two days, a deep magenta in the vinegar and on the fabric.

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Tonight I opened the jar and rinsed out the silk.  The process is a little messy, with lots of petals floating in the rinse water.  And the results …

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silk fabric dyed with dried flower petals … the deep pink is from the extra flowers I added

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You may remember that I folded a few other flowers into the silk.  In retrospect, I should have seen the unnatural pink of some of the flowers … I think the florists did a little dyeing of their own and that is what is making the bright pink on the fabric.  It looks a bit artificial for my taste, but I do love the brownish magenta that colours the background of the fabric – that colour seems to be from the rose petals.  Silk certainly takes up colour eagerly!

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the magenta seems to be from the rose petals – a more natural colour

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Once the fabric is dry, I intend to hem the silk for a tablecloth. I use tablecloths all the time and this one will remind me of a special bouquet!

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Snippet of a longer poem I wrote after this adventure …

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remnants of the bouquet

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petal colour

stains fabric

eager to make

an impression

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deep pink dried flowers I added to the rose petal mix … I should have realised they were too bright to be ‘real’

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I have carefully rinsed my pickle jar, intending to use it again!

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Copyright  2014  Jane Tims