Thursday 8 July 2010

Going for Green



With this piece, I was aiming for texture. I am happy with the Nowegian curls and how they have bonded with the silk. I tried to dye this felt green using red onion skins and alum. I'm not sure about the shade. Maybe a little too mustardy? I am finding green a tricky shade to achieve, it seems that there is a need to over dye blue with yellow, or yellow with blue. I have some indigo seedlings on my window sill. We shall see what the summer has in store.

I hope that your summer is bringing you joy xJ


25 comments:

Unknown said...

If you want a nice bright yellow/green (chartruese) you can dye with Queen Anne's Lace. I have a how to out on my blog right now. I think what you have is a pretty color though!

Anonymous said...

You can get a darker and very beautiful green with leaves from Corylus maxima purpurea or Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea only with alum. You need 400%.
Best regards
Petra

Caterina Giglio said...

I like it! a bit bright but I love the curls!!

Jasmine said...

Thank you Whimsey - I will try that :)

Petra - Thanks for the tips. I will look those plants up. I prefer to use natural dyes where ever possible.

Cat - It is bright, I'm starting to like it a lot more now. A friend suggested orange, and I can imagine a similar texture in a carrot colour looking very good :)

Jasmine said...

Petra, I just looked those names up. Purple Hazel sounds wonderful. i think you have just helped me decide what to plant at the front of our cottage. I have a love of Beech too, so maybe I should go walking in the woods soon. Which pat would I use, leaves, or bark? :)

brandi said...

~your new blog look is clean and fresh...as for the color...its a soft soothing subtle yellowish green...i like what it is! i hope all is well and you are settling happily into your new home...warm wishes and brightest blessings~

ArtSparker said...

I like it quite a bit, it reminds me of tidepools as it is rather algae-colored.

Karen said...

Beautiful Jasmine

Anonymous said...

Hi Jasmine,
I'm from Germany and I know the botanical name, but not the english.
You need the leaves. The tips or young leaves give more colour than the older leaves.
We habe Purple Hazel (I lern)in a hedgerow. I cutted it first time some weeks ago and will cut it a second time this year. Double dyeing pleasure.
And I died with dark lilac clematis flowers, only 80g for 100g wool. They died sky blue with alum, amazing.
Maybe you need some clematis, too? ;o)
cya
Petra

Caio Fern said...

wow !! i really liked this one ... so organic and 'animal" ... beaitiful.
and i see the summer and new home have inspired you to make changes on the blog too.
i loved that new template .
have a wonderful summer, Jasmine .

lynne h said...

this green seems perfect to me. it doesn't seem mustardy - just nice and soft and earthy. beautiful!!

Jo said...

Aww this is sooo gorgeous, Jasmine - particularly the curls!
Love the new look of your blog too.
Hugs xxx

Theresa MacNaughton said...

I think this is beautiful. It's very organic to me. The texture looks amazing - I'd love to curl up with it. :) Theresa

Jasmine said...

Faerwillow - Always a pleasure to see you here. I am settling in nicely thank you. We still need to set up my studio space. We had the roof repaired this week so we are one step closer. I hope that you are well too xx

Susan - I'm glad you like the colour. I am liking it much more now. I think initially I had a much deeper colour in my minds eye so it just looked wrong.

Thank you Mrs De La Bald and a huge congratulations. May you spend many a happy year together x

Thank you again Petra. I'm quite new to natural dyes and felt. I've been playing around for almost a year but still have MUCH to learn. All advice is appreciated :)

Caio - My summer is wonderful so far. If anything, all the good weather and visitors are a distraction. But I would not change that. Autumn and winter will be here all too quickly and I will have many an hour to concentrate on my art. I hope you are having a wonderful autumn. Let me know when you are going to walk up the mountain and make felt shoes!

Lynne - Thank you x

Thanks Jo :) I will be over to check out your new website soon. How did you find the web-course on creative sales? I will have to pick your brains x

Jasmine said...

Thanks Theresa :) I'd like to make a larger piece like this, maybe in white. I'm not sure if it would be a throw, a cape or a poncho. I have these beautiful visions of the caopes made in Lorien (Lord of the Rings) and have fairy style visions of making something earthy that blends int othe environment x

patricia said...

I´d never seen curls in a fabric before, it´s weird and surpriesing, I like that piece and the colour reminds me yerba mate, do you know it? People here use it to dye wool.
You´re living in such a beautiful place! I like your new look by the way. xoxo

Jasmine said...

Hi Patricia. Thanks for the tip. I had never heard of Yerba Mate before. When I looked it up I half expected it to be something like Kool Aid that I hear about from time to time. It was a pleasant surprise to find it is a rain forest variety of Holly. I have European Holly in my garden and a couple of weeks ago I cut all of the lower branches back to the trunk and removed ivy vines as thick as your arm. I still have a bag full of leaves and twigs so I think I will have to try that out next. Thanks for the advice xx

Martine said...

These summerdays are too lovely to spend them on pc so i come only to say hello and admire your green.
XXXm

Fiona said...

Love the curls.

Suzi Smith said...

I love it too... but i have no pre-conceived idea of what it should be. From all the suggestions, you are going to have a wonderful time exploring greens!! I've just been planning a workshop for mixing natural greens... paint tho, not natural dyes. Greeens & greys are fascinating me at the moment!

Felted House said...

Those curls are beautiful, I love Wensleydale for the same reason but I think the Norwegian is even better. And it is certainly a lovely textured piece. I'm not a yellow person at all so tend to agree with you about the shade, but for someone out there it will be absolutely perfect. xx

dorie said...

like the fresh new look of your blog and like this fresh colour of your wrap too. (you can always dye it again..with the great dyetips some others has given here) don't forget to sit down and relax, listen to the waves of the sea!

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

I love the proverb you've quoted here. So true. Loving your green wool too, I am intriqued by the process and inspired by what you do.

Harnett-Hargrove said...

Yes, a beautiful tint of green. I do love the acid side of that hue. -J

Ginga Squid said...

Hey - I LOVE that shade of green! Love the curls too.
Anyway - that shade is 'in' at the moment, what with Shrek 3 being out at the movies!!!
:)