Dying to open Bundles, and the Sheep and Wool show

In my last post I said I would show you the results of the dye bundles I did before my 2-week trip to New Zealand. I also have some photos from the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show to share with you too. 

The weather on the show day was horrible! The trip took about 2 hours and it was raining the whole time. We were hoping that the rain would stop. It did stop long enough for us to get in the Wool Craft shed and after that it was raining again. Needless to say, the rain didn't stop us from having a good time!

The first stall I spotted was the eco-dyed wearable by myliefie. There was some fabulous stuff at that stall. I got talking to the Jemina the owner of myliefie. I think she picked up that I was a dyer too. It was great to see that she is making business out of her hobby. I love her stuff, but sadly I didn't get any that day, but I will though!

Lots of hand dyed yarns at the show. These were sock yarns with a 50% discount on them. I got some to use on my weaving projects. I love bargains, don't you?

Beanies of all types were everywhere at the show. It was the right day for wearing beanies. My friend Lynda bought one for her husband, bur really, she was so cold she needed to wear it! I'm more of a scarf person and always wear scarves, so I was okay that day.

Now for the dye bundles I did before the trip to New Zealand. I could hardly wait to open them when I returned! Normally I don't leave dye bundles more than a week, but being away I had no choice but to wait!

I prepared 5 bundles of eco-dyeing using various kind of eucalyptus leaves. The fabric I used was kimono silk from Ziguzagu. I steamed them in my Chinese steamer for 2 hours. After steaming I left the bundles to sit in the steamer for a few days. The day before I left for NZ I put the bundles to soak in an oak bath. Here are the results after 2 weeks of soaking. 

In this bundle. I used mixed leaves like rose, various eucalyptus leaves and Oxalis (sour grass) flowers. The yellow bits are from Oxalis flowers.

I used copper rods to wrap them in and in two bundles I used wood. You can see the one with dark spots and edges. Those were the ones wrapped on copper rods. I'm not so fussed on the leaf imprints. What I like is the rich colour and texture from the oak bath and metal mordant.  

This bundle is a dress I found in an op-shop. It's not 100% natural fibre, but from my experience I know that  it will dye using rust. I wrapped it with lots of eucalyptus leaves leftover from dyeing the other bundles. I stewed the bundle in the cast iron pot and stuffed more eucalyptus leaves around the bundle. I stewed it for a couple of hours. I left the bundle in the pot the whole time I was away for more than 2 weeks. 

And here is the result of the dyed dress after washing and pressing. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Unfortunately, it is a summer dress so I have to wait until summer to wear it! The scarf is one I made using indigo silk at either end. 

A Royal baby boy was born today, woo hoo! Tomorrow I'm hosting a high tea at my house for the Queen! You just have to wait and read about it on my next post...

Until next time

Nat