I posted about what I did with the ubiquitous plant called Kudzu and a silk robe while taking a class with India Flint at Shakerag last week.
see here
I wrapped the silk robe/kudzu leaf package around a stick, and bound it with a strong cotton string and left it in a pot of water, brought to the boil (slightly) and left to cool.
These pictures show the progression:
I cannot get over the level of detail that transferred to the silk!
Kudzu and Eucalyptus
A piece of habotai silk dyed with both kudzu leaves and eucalyptus
(I don't know which variety of eucalypt this leave was but you've probably seen it at the local florist).
The kudzu leaves made a beautiful green while the eucalypt presented a lovely orange.
If you live in the southern United States, I envy your access to the Kudzu plant. Perhaps we've found a way to eradicate its nasty invasive growth (up to 12" a day!) on the landscape of the South. We can remove it without the use of toxic chemicals and create striking patterns with the leaves on fabric.
Please see India's blog to see more eco-dye we created in her workshop last week.