Native Botanical Extract

 

Since evolution, humans have been connected to the abundant properties and elements of plants as shelter, food source, medicine and decoration. 

If we look at herbal teas; their age old contribution to health and well being are paramount while their function as dye 'bath' are just as important. Imagine immersing a piece of cloth into various herbal tea baths and allowing them to soak for several hours. This is similar to our method in creating background colour to our textiles using a range of Australian native flora.

Stage 2 of our dye craft applies actual leaves to create a 'contact print' between the textile and the leaf. This is achieved by heat and natural mordants. In every plant exists endless elements (minerals) that are sourced from soil. The Table of Elements shows many minerals which naturally exist in soil. When leaves are heated their minerals are released. Cloth that is wound tightly around leaves and branches absorb the minerals and create a photocopy of the leaf. This is assisted with mordants (binding agents) such as protein which are found in the textiles we select. We also temper the dye bath with natural alkalis and citrus acid.