In my previous blog I showed the results of a batch of eco print bundles on paper and fabric that I’d dyed using rhubarb leaves.
The experiment included some silk samples. It was my first attempt at eco printing with silk.
I cut some pieces from a metre of white Chinese silk paj (silk chiffon) that I had bought a while back.
As you see, like the eco prints on paper and fabric, little of the plant matter has printed except as a wash or stain. The red blotches are from pomegranate seed. The green and green-blue are from the sari silk yarn with which I bound up the bundles.
Below is another eco print from the same batch, made on khadi paper, for comparison. I used the same kinds of plant matter in each and the dyeing process was exactly the same for each, but the silk has reacted very differently from the paper. 
I’ll be working more with silk in future.
There is embossing, imprinting. There is staining and washing.
I’ve been pondering how to progress these to finished artworks. They seem different, these prints, yet there is a common denominator. Each print is a reaction to pressures; and almost the same pressures.
I want to communicate that.
How? Any ideas? I have some forming, but welcome suggestions.
Poetic Mapping: Walking Into Art 
Beautiful work and website! Ive been gathering inspiration for eco dyeing, thanks for this site
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Oh my goodness, my blog post dates to 2015 and I’ve learned so much since then about eco printing and natural dyeing. But thanks! I’ve written a few blogs about dyeing with rhubarb. You’ll find them if you do a search in the box above using ‘rhubarb’. The best results I’ve had with rhubarb dye have been on silk mordanted with alum. The green and rose in the above prints have transferred from the coloured strips of recycled sari silk I used to tie the bundle. A happy accident! But take care with rhubarb leaves. They contain oxalic acid and are poisonous. Work with rhubarb in a ventilated room and of course do not eat the leaves or have kids or pets around. Wear gloves. I’m going to make rhubarb wine this year. 🙂 (Not from the leaves of course). If you want to learn about eco dyeing and printing fast and not waste a lot of time and money, I’d recommend Kathy Hays’ online courses. I’ve done several: https://kathyhaysdesigns.com/index.html. Good luck! Happy dyeing.
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