It's nearly fall!

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The dye garden is at its peak, with everything in bloom. It's the perfect time for ecoprinting! I heartily encourage natural dyers to collect, press and dry as many dye plants as you can, for a winter full of ecoprint dye projects. 

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A couple of tips:

• For lasting prints on fabric, use proven dye plants. If making prints on paper, try using just about anything as your print won't need to be wash-fast.

• The dark pink Cosmos makes a stronger color than the lighter shades.

• Where possible, remove the pistil and stamen (the pollen-y parts) for a prettier print. Hollyhock and Sulfur cosmos are good candidates for this.

• For flowers that have bulky centers, try using a tortilla press to flatten before placing in your flower press.

• Dense flowers can mold easily, so don't put too many in your press at once; or put plenty of corrugated cardboard in between layers.

• Re-tighten frequently to keep flowers flat as they dry.

• When ecoprinting, place flowers top side down, and leaves bottom side down.

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Peace and happy dyeing!

Laurie