I am so, so grateful to have easy access to beautiful outdoor space during this time of self-distancing and sheltering in place. I haven’t taken that availability for granted and it’s resulted in (and continues to result in) some explorations with my immediate environment.
I’ve been wanting to gather some Queen Anne’s lace for dyeing for quite some time, ever since my friend Nadene dyed some linen with it several years ago. Nadene is such an incredible dyer and I’ve never forgotten the way that linen practically vibrated with that yellow color. An almost neon, but not remotely garish; pastel, but not even approaching dowdy.
Everybody in Alabama know what Queen Anne’s lace is, even if they don’t know what it’s called. It’s one of the most prevalent roadside and ditch side plants around these parts. My friend Lindsay even told me the seeds are a really effective birth control if timed properly.
However, Queen Anne’s Lace turned out to be the kind of thing you can always find until you go out hunting it. I believe we’re a bit on the early side of the season, but after driving around for half an hour or so, me and Tim found an unmowed stretch of Highway 54 that was covered up in beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace blooms. We pulled over (or, more accurately, just stopped in the middle of the road), and went to cutting.
It’s important to mention that QAL looks very similar to several very dangerous plants, specifically hemlock and hogweed, potentially known by other names in your area. For me, it’s helpful to remember to look for a hairy, completely green stem to identify it as Queen Anne’s Lace. If that’s the case, I’m good to go with cutting it for dyeing or arranging. Always use your best judgment when foraging, and use local resources for plant identification. I’m lucky to have people in my life that I can text (thanks, Mom!) for help identifying plants, but seek out local or regional Plant Identification groups on Facebook—it’s immensely helpful and fascinating to be able to identify plants with regional monikers, and to find out any hyperlocal uses of the plant. I love talking with someone about similar plants, only to find out we’re actually discussing the same plant—my grandmother just happened to call it Oleaster and yours called it Eleagna.
Anyway, back to the Queen.
I mordanted all of my fibers with alum at 15% weight of fiber. I use cellulose fibers, and mordanted some vintage linen handkerchiefs, along with some cotton and linen. I also matched my WOF 100% with my weight of dyestuff. I’m the first to admit I’m a bit wonky (let’s call it “intuitive”) when it comes to measuring my dyestuff. I measured a flowerhead that looked fairly average to me, and then counted how many flower heads I had, and multiplied those numbers together. Hey, it works for me!
The next morning, I uncovered the pot and the liquid was more developed, and after reheating for a bit, had really developed into a pure, sunshine-golden yellow. I added my mordanted fibers and simmered for a few more hours, before removing it and putting it back in a corner of my outdoor studio to sit, stirring occasionally throughout the day.
On the morning of Day 3, I took everything out of the dye pot and played with some pH modifiers to push for some more gray, sage tones. The linens have been laundered now, and I’m so pleased with the result. I found it incredibly hard to photograph these colors without them going too pale or too gray, and I really strived for these being as color-correct as possible. The color is really kinetic. The brighter tones are warm and vibrant, and while it isn’t the richest color, the dimensionality is really nice. The darker, pH modified dye color is a gorgeous tone that has taupe and sage tones, and I think I’ll likely get more use out of that shade over time, specifically with dyeing some cotton, wool and linen threads for hand-stitching
Thanks for following along! It’s nice to know I’ve got an option for a nice, soft yellow and pretty sage this time of year. I’ll let you know what we forage next, while we wait for all of our dyeplants to bloom in the garden. I’m thinking it might be some spikey Sweet Gum balls.