How many colours? Enjoy the video
If you spin wool than probably you have also tried dyeing the wool with plant materials. I spent several years doing it. You need to work outside because it is messy. You learn along the way, how plants behave. The above video introduces you to the Japanese way of thinking about colour and it is very restful.
There is a thrill when you dye with indigo, it changes colour from a greenish hue to a beautiful blue as the air oxygenates the wool. A brief moment of magic..
Mostly you will get soft greens, yellows.
Paul, being a collector of all things Japanese, had glass topped cases of natural dyes both plant and mineral, you can see them here.
My mother-in-law years ago gave me a Chinese silk piano cloth, beautifully embroidered with a great dragon and flowers, but it had lost all its colour. Is now a cream background in which the embroidery shows up as a soft dove grey. The colour bleached out by time.
Thank you for the video. JacquieB
ReplyDeleteThe video was very good Jacquie.
DeleteI have never dyed anything with plant materials. That silk piano cloth is still so beautiful - do you have it out in your home? That video was amazing but it made me realize how many colors I have missed in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteNo Ellen it is too precious to have out, though I did hang it up once on a wall out of reach of everyone.
DeleteGorgeous silk piano cloth. Love the intricacies of the stitching and design. Reminds me of why I always head over to V&A when I travel to London. So many beautiful textiles. Will be over the Pond in a few weeks so will be traversing those halls again.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a good holiday Mary, the weather should be getting better. I expect the piano cloth ruined some eyes though with its close stitches.
DeleteThe embroidery is exquisite. The fading of the colours has done nothing to reduce the beauty of the work.
ReplyDeleteYes that is remarkable Janice, the overall effect is still there.
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