Natural dyeing

Dye pot; Photo © Karen Thiessen 2013

This was my dye pot last fall. The drips are courtesy of a black walnut vat. I'm beginning to see the occasional black walnut on the sidewalk and in a month I expect to see more. I can't wait to start my next vat.

Dye pot detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen 2013

I had planned to start an indigo vat this summer but it just hasn't happened and probably won't. My husband has been cleaning out and organizing the garage and a vat would have prevented this minor miracle from happening. The good news is that there is a lot more space for dyeing and he's offered to install a proper clothes line in there for future indigo-dyed cloth to oxidize. By next week we'll have extra plugs and lights so I'll be able to plug in the hot plate without a 10 foot extension cord (and tripping hazard) snaking across the garage floor and up the steps. I may celebrate by treating myself to a new hot plate.