Hey guys!! I was walking around outside earlier today and saw a polk plant that is almost done with it's producing season. I will admit that I was going to do this earlier in it's season when I would have gotten more berries but I did not remember until now.
I had my little sister help with picking the berries.
We got a bit less than I had hoped but maybe enough to color something.
Then I put all of the berries into a glass measuring cup and crushed them.
I boiled some water on the stove and put a small amount in my crushed berries. While my water was still heating, I put the items I was going to dye in a container of enough water to cover them and let them sit to get all of the air out of them.
At this point I was hoping I was not going to need to add something to them to make the dye stay. This project was a complete impulse and was very under researched. I have dyed things before but I know very little about the craft in general. I do however know enough about dying to have made sure my items were at least mostly natural fibers.
Then I put my items (still very wet) in the bottom of a large glass jar that came with a dye kit. I poured hot water over them and let them sit for just a few seconds before adding the dye mixture I made.
I then stirred the water to make sure the dye was evenly distributed. Then I let it sit until it was Luke warm and stirred it periodically (but mostly just waited for it to cool).
This is where I discovered my mistake due to lack of research. I forgot to add what is called a mordent to my items before dying them.
I then added about two cups (ish) of white vinegar. I knew this was the wrong time to add a mordent but I was pretty desperate and hopeful that it would work. I then let it sit overnight.
I checked it the next morning, but when I rinsed one of the items under cold water it turned white again. I let it sit for a few more days, but after no change, I just rinsed out my items and put up all of my stuff.
I would have waited until a successful project to share with you guys but I am fairly behind on my posting already. I would love to hear about you guy's experience with dying and tips. As always, have a great day/night and stay healthy and creative!