Leaf arrangement is on cotton fabric pre-mordanted with aluminum acetate. The blank portion of fabric will be folded over onto the arrangement then rolled onto a copper pipe, bound tightly with cotton string before being immersed in a pot of boiling water for 90 minutes.

Leaf arrangement on cotton striped fabric pre-mordanted with aluminum acetate. The leaves are Oak, Maple, Birch and Eucalyptus

The printing results were stunning tones of gold and yellow. After several days of curing, I decided to experiment with dipping 2 of the sections in an iron water bath. The dark tones make the patterns really pop.

Copper pipe bundles in boiling pot. Leaves, (especially eucalyptus) rather than delicate flowers, can tolerate immersion in boiling water. Flower bundles require being steamed rather than immersed.

A lovely floral arrangement on non-mordanted cotton fabric. This bundle was folded and steamed in a tea bath. The results are in the next photo. Some of the leaf prints came through and the pinks turned purple. The fabric was more damp than too wet which is why the impressions were more distinct but clearly cotton fabric needs to be pre-mordanted.

The bundles after boiling and steaming. The color is evident where the fabric is exposed.

Here I layered Calendula, Rudbekia, Calfornia poppies, Lady’s Mantle and Queen Ann’s Lace using a plastic barrier layer attempting to control the print. My pre-mordanted cotton fabric was too wet, the results were blurry and muddied.

The results from the previous photo are in the upper left corner. After several days of drying and curing, I experimented with altering the yellow/gold results by dipping that piece and a few others in an iron water bath shifting the overall color to more contrasting results. The fabric in the lower right is unaltered .

Another hopeful arrangement in my early experimenting with eco-bundle dyeing. The result of this piece is in the previous photo, top right corner, where I had dunked it in an iron water bath for more contrast.

The flower arrangements on fabric were beautiful but the results, after rolled, bundle wrapped then steamed, were less spectacular tending toward yellow and gold tones, loosing the purples and pinks. My fabric was also too wet rather than just damp so none of the floral definition came through.

These eco-bundle dyed fabrics were not mordanted. Instead they were steam in a tea bath. This clearly effected the overall definition in the printing results. I used lots of onion skins imparting a lovely pink tone in the places where there was the most contact.

Another leaf arrangement with scattered onion skins(which yield pink tones to the fabric). The results of this bundle are in the previous photo, upper right.

Non-mordanted cotton fabric and cotton vintage trims layered with leaves, flowers and onion skins then rolled up in a bundle and steamed over a tea bath. The results of the trim appear in the next photo.

My friend Diana arranging a leaf composition on cyanotype chemical painted fabric inside my dimly lit garden shed. The leaves are held down with a sheet of acrylic then brought out in the sun for exposure of 15 minutes. The results are stunning!

Here I played around with a few different techniques. All of these pieces of fabric were previously unsuccessfully eco-bundle dyed, the results were of no real leaf or flower patterns only shades of tan with few interesting mark. I decided to first rinse them in an iron water bath before using them for sunprinting/ cyanotype. The visible dark parts are from the iron water. Overall , I really like the crisp leaf pattern results. I can see any portion of these pieces ending up in a future stitching project.

Stitching samples in top of photo, the left one was tea dyed and the top right was bound in steel wire and tea dyed producing a wonderful grunge effect. The bottom cotton vintage trims were bound in my recent eco-bundle dyeing projects. The results are equally grungy and wonderful.

These fabrics are part of the same batch as the previous photo. Using eco-dyed fabrics for cyanotype printing makes for a deep rich blue.

This photo features painting and stenciling on fabric, printing on fabric with original carved stamp designs, rust dyed fabric and inking on fabric.