Monday 29 September 2014

Eco Dyeing and Printing in Cornwall

At the beginning of September I travelled down to Cornwall to visit my friend Marilyn Stephens (and her lovely hubby Chris).  Marilyn has been eco dyeing and printing onto fabric and papers for over a year achieving some amazing results.  She was kind enough to show me the ropes so to speak, and under her expert guidance I produced some wonderful prints.  We had such fun chatting, drinking lots of cups of tea and experimenting.

Marilyn foraging for plant material
 

preparing our pages


layering our leaves
 
 
my first ever eco dyeing bundles - such a long wait!


prints on sketchbook pages


prints on watercolour paper


fern leaf on watercolour paper - the yellow ochre is onion skins


unravelling, the best part of all!  This is my favourite


animalistic prints


collage of tiny prints on fragments of paper
 
Marilyn was a patient tutor, I made extensive notes as there are lots of preparations before dyeing and printing can begin. I did learn a lot from her and further experimentation is needed and equipment bought before I can start my own dyeing and printing.
 
Marilyn suggested a visit to Cornwall would not be complete without a cream tea and she took me to her favourite tea room - well it would have been rude not to ladies.....



Lanyon Tea Room - Cornish clotted cream absolutely delicious
 
 
Marilyn drove us around on a scenic coastal route ending in a visit to Falmouth where we sampled the tastiest fish and chips whilst sitting in the sunshine watching the world go by.
 


 
 
I had a lovely visit to Marilyn and Chris's, they made me so welcome. Cornwall is a lovely part of the country.  I am looking forward to starting eco dyeing and printing and sharing the results with you all.  Until next time...... hope you are all well and enjoying autumn
 

6 comments:

  1. What a fascinating technique - I've never seen it before! Must get down to lovely Cornwall sometime soon as well.

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  2. Hi Jayne
    I just shared a similar experience with my dear friend, Jo, from New Zealand who came to stay. She also has been eco dyeing for quite some time now and we achieved some lovely results on silk pieces but not as good as we had hoped.
    Maybe we can share notes.
    Hugs,
    Suzy

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  3. Dear Jayne, I`m totally in awe over what you created on your first ever try, eco-dying.
    Every piece is so stunning, and the prints standing so sharp and beautiful, on both fabric and papers.
    Wow, fantastic dear.
    Hugs,Dorthe

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  4. Wow!
    What fun -I'd love to try this!
    Does Marilyn have a blog??

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  5. Thanks for visiting. I think,just at this moment, I am equally envious of your Eco dyeing and the cream tea!

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  6. How lovely, I tried something similar when I was at art college - thank you for the memories!

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Thank you for your lovely comments, I really do appreciate them.