Camellia Dyeing, naturally

We have several very large and beautiful

 Camellia bushes

in our yard.

They are bright red,

and bloom at least six months

out of the year.

I have taken them for granted -

at least until this week.

Recalling that the red Texas Star Hibiscus

bloom turned blue 

when eco-dyed,

I thought I'd give the camellia blossoms a whirl.

I used linen that I had soaked in sea water

while at the beach,

and wrapped the blossoms on a copper pipe.

As soon as I removed my bundle from my pot,

I knew that I was in for a treat:

The red blossoms had thrown off a lovely

pinky-mauve color.

Above you can see the resist lines 

left from my wrapping string.

I was really very pleased with the results.

I'm not sure if the sea water has 

heightened the dye reaction,

and I don't have anymore linen to try a comparison,

but I have since dyed a silk/wool blend scarf

using more of the same camellia blossoms.

I will report back when I unfurl that bundle.

Here is an image showing a bit more of the linen

with the camelia blossom:

As you can see, there is also 

a good bit of yellow on the linen...

perhaps from the bright yellow stamens?

Jane asked about my hand made napkins.

I use 100% cotton that I purchase in bulk from

Testfabrics.

Sometimes I hem the squares,

using a double folded 1/4" hem,

stitching with white 100% cotton thread,

and then I dye them with whatever technique I want.

Usually though, as in the case posted the other day,

I simply zig zag around the edges,

1/4" in, with white 100% cotton thread.

Then I dye.

As the excess outer threads unravel over time,

the napkins really become lovely.

This is a great way to try out new techniques

before jumping into a huge project.

I often dye coordinating table runner fabric at the same time,

but then I quilt those.

It's even nicer to dye two different table runner fabrics.

That way you can just turn the thing over 

for a easy change.

Can you tell I am easily bored?

peace to you