Dye Dye Dye!

I have been wishing I could dye all my clothes black lately. I know this is a bad idea, because I do really like green and purple, but the urge it still there. The good thing is that it reminded me of the journey I took with natural dying some silk scraps last year. I forgot to post anything about it, and now my memory is fuzzy. I won't wait for my memories to get any hazier, so without further mumbles:  

This was my first attempt. I don't think I used any mordant. Maybe salt or vinegar? Anyway, the one on the left is strawberries. It faded within a couple of months to a yellow-y color. The one on the right is some sort of weed - wait! I found my notes. It's lady's thumb. Not a very nice color, but it was pretty stable.

Okay. Let's do this starting top left is walnut leaves, plus iron, I think. Center top is plain walnut leaves, and next to it I think I have ground ivy.

The three in the center row are red cabbage: with vinegar, by itself, and with baking soda. I was really hoping the baking soda would turn out green, but it obviously didn't. 

I think the next row is: blackberry leaves with copper, moss, and who knows? Maybe turmeric or mullein - I think probably plain blackberry leaves.

I used alum is a mordant with all of these.

This one is just plain copper.

And this one is Boston Ivy berries.

This is Boston Ivy with a pH change (I don't remember which way).

I have in my notes that rosemary didn't work. 

Now looking at all the pretty colors I want to experiment more! 

Momento Mori

Artka

Maybe it's just been a cold spring, but this style of layering knits and floaty fabrics seems very appealing right now. It's a fashion from Japan called Mori Girl.  Mori means forest, and, oh man, have I been craving the forest lately. I love living in the city with all the rust and graffiti, but sometimes I just want to be alone with the trees, ya know? 

I also have a fascination with small animal skulls. I've never thought of using them in my hair, though. I had an awesome marmot skull that got lost in a move and a rabbit skull that blew off my balcony when I put it outside to dry after cleaning it. I still have a bird skull that I on the rocks near the ocean and a sun-bleached turtle shell that I found in the woods. I wonder how that turtle shell would look as a pillbox hat. 

I would really like to get some more brown clothing. I only have two things in brown and it is one of my favorite colors. Weird, huh? Brown doesn't seem to come in style that often, so it's hard to find stuff in the shades I like. Bummer. 

on etsy, but can't find it anymore

These pictures are of a darker side of Mori Girl. There is also a lot of white lace and furry things. I like how it all seems really comfortable and not form-fitting. I like clothes that have ease of movement for climbing trees and fences. These might get stuck on twigs and rusty nails, though... where is the happy medium between comfy and not billowy?