Plant dyes - all the colours achievable from leaf, flower and root within around a five mile radius. The red hot poker root was a gift from a friend on Skye but that’s only several miles across the water…
"As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens."
~ Stephen Graham,
The Gentle Art of Tramping (1923)
May the future belong to painters, potters, woodworkers, seamstresses, storytellers, bakers, gardeners, and people who still make things with their hands.
I needed a quick and easy yellow plant dye today. Didn’t fancy tackling the spiky gorse bushes so gathered this leaf instead. Silverweed, which grows plentifully along the shore 1/4
I pre-wetted the linen, and soaked the leaves in boiling water for a few hours then mixed them together and left the leaves in as they are easy to remove later. Will show colour tomorrow. 4/4