Botanical Dye Printing

Autumn is here and there and everywhere and in my travels I have been collecting leaves and blossoms.  I've pressed these between book pages, phonebooks, and even made a leaf press using corrugated cardboard, duct tape and muslin strips as ties.

It's been lovely weather to take walks and gather leaves. I take off with my bag and come back with it full and then the chores begin.  Soaking walnuts to make dye, placing the leaves of walnut and eucalyptus and blossoms of salvia and roses between pages.

I left out several piles of botanicals to dye fabrics and for the last several days have done just that.  Of course the last photos are of fabric wrapped on copper, not a botanical but spritzed with vinegar and water the copper will leave a beautiful verdigris!