Logwood & Weld (Solar + Exhausts 2 & 3)

 At the end of Dye Project: Logwood Exhaust 2 (Alum + Iron), I had a gallon of Exhaust 3 dye left, but thought I wouldn't keep it since there seemed to be so little pigment left. At the last minute though, I decided to combine the Logwood Exhaust 3 dye with some leftover Weld Exhaust 2 dye, and see what happens (sort of the dyer's equivalent of a Hail Mary pass). It's a desperation move that probably won't yield anything, but with nothing to lose, why not? The dye and prepared dish towel are already on hand, so go for it. This follow-up post reports on the results!

Logwood Exhaust 3: instead of tossing, try an experiment

Weld Exhaust 2: add to the logwood

I decided to overdye a dish towel that had previously been dyed with cherry, and I also decided to solar dye with the combined dyes, instead of the customary process of simmering over heat for an hour. Research indicated that the combination of logwood and weld could yield a greenish color. 

To my large canning jar I added a teaspoon of alum and stirred to mix. Then I added the two dyes and stirred to combine. Finally I added the prepared dish towel, and sealed the lid.

Combined logwood and weld dye bath with alum

I put the jar out on the patio, and left it in the sun for four weeks, agitating the jar daily to distribute the dye evenly. Interestingly, by week 2, no evidence of purple remained. By week 4 the dish towel seemed to be a pink and yellow color. (The overall appearance of the jar reminded us of a specimen preserved in formaldehyde in a zoology lab).

By week two, the purple was gone

By week four, the dish towel looked pinkish yellow 

After four weeks I treated the fabric as usual: rinsing until the water ran clear; hanging to dry; washing with a pH neutral soap after two weeks; and then hanging to dry again.

The dye bath appears brown, inside the house and out of sunlight

Rinsed and squeezed

The resulting color doesn't photograph well, but in certain light the fabric has a pinkish yellow "glow" to it. It definitely did not yield a green shade, but there are multiple variables that could have prevented that, including the age and strength of the exhaust dyes, and using solar dyeing instead of the simmering process.

Logwood Exhaust 3 + Weld Exhaust 2: solar and alum mordant brightener

Color Comparison

For fun, look at the range of shades produced using logwood dye, with simmering and solar techniques, over multiple exhausts, and with alum and iron as mordant brighteners!

Logwood: shades of color produced

Farmers' Market: Summer and Fall Bounty

This is the time of year to purchase the last of the summer fruit here in the Bay Area. If you can't get out to one of those pick-it-yourself farms, a Farmer's Market is the way to go. Here in the Bay Area, we have many Farmers' Markets from which to choose (find one here).

The stone fruits are still available and sweeter than ever. The melons are full of flavor and moisture after many hot, hot days. A variety of berries are plentiful and also flavorful from the intense sun. This is a great time to buy a flat or two of some of your favorites, and preserve, pickle, or dehydrate to enjoy in the winter (similar to Little House in the Big Woods, but with all our modern tools and gadgets)!

Permanent farmstand in San Ramon

Soon, pears of all shapes, colors, and types will be available, as well as apples of all varieties, apple butter, and apple cider. Pumpkins, squash and root vegetables will also appear on the scene (some in the form of pie). Life is good in this time of bounty!

Coreopsis & Marigold (Solar + Iron + Exhausts 2 & 3)

Last year I grew and harvested coreopsis and marigold flowers, and earlier this year I solar dyed some handkerchiefs with the dried flowers and alum. I reported on the vibrant results in Dye Project: Coreopsis & Marigold (Solar + Alum). It was surprising how much color was produced with so few flowers. I loved the bright yellow from the marigold and the deep orange from the coreopsis. At the end of the post I expressed an interest in reusing the dye baths in a second exhaust, using Ferrous sulfate as the mordant. I ended up doing a third exhaust as well. This follow-up post reports on the surprising results!

Exhaust 1 after three weeks

Exhaust 1 - marigold on the left, coreopsis on the right

Exhaust 2

I reused the dye and the plant material from Exhaust 1. To each jar I added a few inches of fresh water and 1/4 teaspoon (26 grams) of Ferrous sulfate, and stirred until well mixed. I added two cotton handkerchiefs and wool yarn in layers with the original plant material. I poured in the reused dye (Exhaust 2) and topped it off with water as needed. I left this batch in the sun for six weeks, agitating the jars daily to distribute the dye evenly.

Salvaging dye and plant material for Exhaust 2

Preparing iron mordant for Exhaust 2

Exhaust 2 dye with iron mordant

The dye bath deepened in color over the course of three weeks (it was surprising how much color remained). After six weeks I treated the fabric as usual: rinsing until the water ran clear; hanging to dry; washing with a pH neutral soap after two weeks; and then hanging to dry again.

Exhaust 2 + iron after six weeks

Exhaust 2 + iron hanging to dry

The resulting color was lighter, as you would expect from a second exhaust, and the color was duller with the iron mordant.

Marigold comparison: Exhaust 1 + alum on left; Exhaust 2 + iron on right

Coreopsis comparison: Exhaust 1 + alum on left; Exhaust 2 + iron on right

Exhaust 3

I decided to see what would happen if I reused the dye and plant material from Exhaust 2. This would be Exhaust 3 of the dye bath, with little hope of results, but I decided "why not"? The coreopsis dye bath had only a remnant of color, and the plant material was basically black with no orange pigment. But the marigold dye bath still had color, and the plant material had quite a bit of color. I repeated the same steps used for Exhaust 2, but this time used cotton fabric instead of handkerchiefs; and left the jars in the sun for eight weeks instead of six, thinking more time might pull out any last remnant of color.

Exhaust 3 + iron after eight weeks (on an overcast day)

Exhaust 3 + iron: the marigold has a surprising amount of color

Exhaust 3 + iron: the coreopsis color is gone, so the iron dyes a grayish color

Exhaust 3 + iron + solar comparison: Marigold on the left; Coreopsis on the right

Color Comparison

For fun, look at the range of shades produced with marigold and coreopsis flowers, solar dyeing over multiple exhausts, and with alum and iron as mordant brighteners!

Marigold and Coreopsis: shades of color produced