This one actually got eco-printed twice. I’ve been using eucalyptus that I bought ages ago, so it’s all dry and brittle and I have not taken great pains in placing the leaves. I’m thinking I will do one more with the intention of careful placement of the leaves & buds. Currently I don’t want to invest in fresh eucalyptus, but eco printing in the round is a lot easier and a bit more predictable with fresh leaves.
Embroidering on these necklaces is very meditative so I’ll probably make more in the future, but I think this cycle is about wound up.
Eco-printing is “printing” done with botanicals - leaves, berries, stems, flowers etc… For these necklaces I have been using eucalyptus which almost always results in an orange or red print. On one of the recent necklaces (Read Between the Lines) I also included dandelion blossoms and English ivy leaves which did “print”, but not as well as the eucalyptus.
Eco-printing is often done on wool, cotton, and silk. There are different methods for the printing process some of which include simmering or steaming overnight (preferably outside) in a pot after having been bound around a stick or a copper pipe or iron rod. I know of one woman who uses her microwave for her eco-printing rather than a long simmer or steam. She has to wrap her to be printed packages in plastic and very tightly so the heating process isn’t causing air to expand and possible burst through the plastic (plus is has to be a plastic that will not melt with the extreme heat). I’ve not tried that approach primarily because my pieces are irregular in shape and it might be very difficult to avoid heat expansion of trapped air. I may give it a go at some point.
I soak my necklaces in a solution of water, vinegar and either alum or cream of tartar. I’ve steamed some over night, simmered a couple for over 4 hours, currently steaming for about 4 hours.
I have difficulty evaluating my own work, probably because I’m always looking at what I haven’t done rather than what I have. I was the same way as a painter. My husband used to joke about that.
Started the embroidery work on another. That’s probably the best part of working on these necklaces.
