EcoPrinting on Silk Scarves
Remember those old leaf prints you made in elementary school? Maybe you put a leaf down and rubbed crayon all around it, leaving an outline of the leaf. Maybe you painted the leaf and pressed it down on paper, creating a print that showed the outline, veins, and irregularities.
Fast forward to today. This class takes leaf printing to the next level. Utilizing many of the leaves you can find in the neighborhood, a treated silk scarf and cotton blanket, and some steam, you’ll create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind project you’ll be thrilled to use or give as a gift. It’s easy, fun, and quite frankly, addictive! The left photo is the silk scarf. The one on the right is the cotton blanket.
What to bring:
Leaves! It’s best if they are pressed, even if just overnight, so they lay flat on the silk.
Alder
Berry leaves
Birch
Black Walnut (this gives so much pigment we have to control it a bit!)
Crepe Myrtle
Elderberry, leaves and berry clusters
Eucalyptus (all species – some give more colors than other but they are all great)
Geranium, leaves and flowers
Ginko
Herbs
Japanese Maple
Leaves from known dye plants like woad, weld, and maddert
Locust
Maple
Oak (not live oak)
Pepper Tree
Rose
Smoke bush, leaves and “smoke”
Sumac
Willow
Protective gloves. These can be the kitchen variety or the disposable type that medical folks use. Flexible is best, as you’ll be picking up leaves while wearing them.
That’s it. A silk scarf and cotton blanket are provided.
NOTE: A good part of the time in this class is waiting for your scarf to steam. Bring a project to work on while you wait!