if you get into rust dyeing this might happen to you!
That’s right folks .. there I am dumpster diving!! I have been experimenting with dyeing with rusty objects. It is sooo cool. You find a bunch of stuff that will rust and lay it on your silk, add a little vinegar and voila … beautious fabric. The reaction time is as little as 24 hours. I didn’t think this up myself. I had heard of it from reading about nuno felting with Polly Stirling. This process was used at one of her retreats. I can really see myself doing workshops on dyeing with found rusty objects. Stayed tuned for a workshop near you.
So anyway, I did a few tests to find out what I liked and didn’t like and then did a body of work that reflects what I came up with. Still not sure what these fine silks will become. Something flowy and layered no doubt.
Doing this has triggered a whole theme of dyeing silk with objects from the Mill River in Haydeville, MA. A dam broke up stream and washed away a brass foundry in 1874. I spent the better part of a day last summer collecting items from the river that are obviously from the ruins. But that’s a whole other blog post!
Dec 12 Jeff S. Says:
There’s something about the concept of rust dyeing that captures the imagination — besides being beautiful, it’s preserving a history of … well, whatever it was that rusted.