17 July 2005
Just when I swore off triangles (I think I've finished sewing all the triangles for my real quilt -- which this obviously isn't.), I came up with a mini project.
The latest issue of Country Living (the UK version) has an article about dying with indigo, which also includes several other plants to try for various colours. My original intent was to dye a few scraps with marigold blooms, but I actually wasn't too happy with the colour it produced (it worked VERY well, though -- the yellow was actually much stronger than what I was hoping for). We had various berries on the counter for breakfast, so I played around with those.
Blueberries worked the best, though the cherries, raspberries, and strawberries also produced lovely colours. I dyed some scraps of the white-on-white pattern I used for my big quilt, and made the quick and sloppy creative and unique mini-quilt above to 'showcase' the colours. Click here for another shot with labels for the various dyes.
As I mentioned before, it's about a million degrees in Minnesota, which has been affecting the local wildlife. The squirrels can often be seen taking a break from squirreling and stretching out:
I'm totally going to eat the blueberry-flavoured mini-quilt the first chance I get. Mmmm. Blueberry quilts.
I like the squirrel pics. That's what people want: pictures of fuzzy squirrels (am I right, Em?). But the full-size versions of the pics seem to be stored on thingsivemade.com according to their URLs. You didn't make those squirrels! And you certainly shouldn't sell them online. I know I didn't really make that cloth mouse I keep saying I made, but even I've never claimed I made a squirrel.
posted by Rob at July 17, 2005 12:00 AM
Also: does that squirrel have a little black moustache just like Booty Cat? Have you been drawing moustaches on the local critters with a marker pen?
posted by Rob at July 17, 2005 12:00 AM
You betcha, partner. Squirrels in trees. Them's what sells, like hottened cakes. Mm hmm.
posted by Em at July 19, 2005 12:00 AM
Erm, have just looked at the quilty labels. How can red fruits like cherries and strawberries result in blue patches? Am confused. Can you post an explanation using proper chemistry terms and some diagrams? And an equation. Thank you.
posted by Em at July 19, 2005 01:00 AM
I don't know about any of that 'science' stuff, but the cherries were quite dark -- more purple-y than red. And I seem to remember that blue pigment takes better than red does.
The strawedberry patches are actually pink. Do they look blue in the picture?
posted by Anna at July 20, 2005 12:00 AM