Pumpkin Season

 We're coming to the end of October, a month of heat and fires and wind here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's also a Blue Moon month, which boasts two full moons in the same month. The first full moon of the month was fiery orange, influenced by the smoke that hung in the air from the Napa and Sonoma fires, and was already lingering in the air from August. We'll see how the full moon looks on Halloween in just a few days. 

Cheerful Jack

Until then, we're celebrating the fall harvest of beautiful pumpkins, squash, and gourds, and decorating for the fall season. In this case, with a cheerful Jack O'Lantern on the front porch. If you're in the mood for something scarier, check out Spooky (Garden) Spiders from last year!

Horse Bedding

This fall we're working with our gardener and a landscape consultant to enrich the soil in our yard. We recently received a delivery of about 12 cubic feet of horse bedding from a nearby stable. It is comprised of the chips and straw used to line the stables, and horse manure, and is a coup for our Soil Restoration project. 

About 12 cubic feet of horse bedding

We postponed its delivery until the heat wave and forest fire smoke had subsided, and cooler weather arrived. Surprisingly the bedding has no unpleasant odor. Instead, it has a mild, earthy smell that is quite pleasant and natural. 

Horse bedding is gold for the soil

Our landscape consultant spread some of the bedding on a section of the old lawn that has lost all of its topsoil. The wood chips will protect the compacted soil, and eventually break down. The manure, which contains some of the nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) that animals consumed, will also break down and become incorporated into the soil. 

Horse bedding on the old lawn

Horse bedding under camellia shrubs

He spread another batch of the horse bedding under the camellia shrubs that are in the back of the house. A nearby Japanese maple and magnolia tree will also reap the benefits. This enriched mulch will contribute to the process of process of soil restoration, especially when the winter rains start in a month or so.

Plants to Dye For (2020): Wrap Up

In this post I'm closing up my atelier for the season, and taking a look back at all we've learned! I had a great time learning more about dyeing with plants (and bugs!), trying it out for myself, and making more YouTube videos to capture the process. Following is a wrap up of our Plants to Dye For season in 2020.

Dye projects (from left to right): madder (2 fabric types), cochineal, logwood

Projects and Videos

A deeper dive into preparing your fabric for dyeing, and more dye projects with madder, cochineal, and logwood.

Scouring your Fabric (Soaking Method)

Mordanting Fabric (Oak Gallnut)

Mordanting Fabric (Alum Brightener)

Dye Project: Madder Root

Dye Project: Cochineal (Bugs!)

Dye Project: Logwood

Books and Videos

Great books and videos for learning more about plants and dyes.

Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book

Natural Dye Workshop: (Michael Garcia) DVD Set

Dharma Trading Company: Preparing Madder Root for Dyeing

Dreamy Goat Design Studio: (Mary) Dyeing with Madder Root, Day 1  Day 2  Day 3

Dharma Trading Company: Extracting Dye from Cochineal Bugs for Dyeing, Parts 1-3 (Videos tab)

Dreamy Goat Design Studio: (Mary) Dyeing with Cochineal Insects, Day 1 Day 2

Resources

Sources for plant dye supplies and information (web addresses without links may not be secure).

Maiwa Textiles: shop for dyes and extracts, and learn how to dye (The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes).

Dharma Trading Company: shop for dyes, extracts and supplies, and learn how to dye.

Amazon: shop for alum, Synthrapol, soda ash, washing soda, dyes, and gallon jars.

Botanical Colors: recommended for dyes, extracts and supplies.

Slow Fiber Studios: shop for dyes, extracts and supplies; events, classes, and more.

Earthues (www.earthues.com): shop for dyes, extracts and supplies; events, classes, and more.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. To see what we did last year, see Plants to Dye For: Wrap Up. Stay tuned for more dye projects in the seasons to come!