I've finished the top to my first completely plant-dyed cotton quilt project. I've been foraging, saving, cooking and dyeing with plants over the last few months, and the outcomes are a perfect example of the brilliance of nature, the surprising discovery of color, and the satisfying ability to make it yourself in a sustainable way.
Using walnut husks, ivy, pomegranate, cutch, avocado skins and onion skins I dyed unbleached cotton about a half metre at a time. I used alum and iron as mordants.
The fabric came out beautifully, and I think all the inconsistencies and surprises in the dye give it a really nice texture and depth. I am so amazed by the colors you can pull from a few leaves and skins. All the exhausted plant materials went straight into the compost. Nothing was wasted.
