05 November 2015

Fool's Gold

Fall Color on Red Mountain Pass

Remember how many times I've said I wanted to make yarn the color of Red Mountain Pass aspen leaves?

Two autumns ago, The Lizard and I gathered two full giant pretzel jars full of fallen aspen leaves. One jar was filled with brown leaves (which took all of about five or ten minutes to fill), and one jar was painstakingly filled with golden leaves. We'd had early frosts and lots of rain that autumn, and most of the aspen leaves had turned brown or had been blown down. Gold was difficult to muster that year.

With a bit of vinegar to extract the color and a lot of water, both jars sat in the sun for a couple of weeks. Then the leaves were strained out, and I began solar dyeing yarn and T-shirts with my two jars of what I called Fool's Gold.

yellow and brown aspen leaves

fool's gold

golden as aspen

Works on T-shirts, too!

All my solar dye pots froze solid for about three whole months once December hit. When they finally thawed, I wondered if the beautifully colored liquid might still have enough pigment to solar dye some sock yarn.

Deep Winter's Rest

aspen-dyed sock yarn

aspen-dyed sock yarn

aspen-dyed sock yarn

I crafted a pouch with aspen-dyed yarn to hold a collection of my aspen leaf greeting cards.

card pouch in the making

card pouch in the making


Quilted Quakies


Be Different!


Quilted Quakies Thank You Card
Quilted Quakies Thank You Card

Then I got this new wild idea...

What if I made paper from aspen leaves, and then made greeting cards from the paper, and put THEM in an aspen-dyed sock yarn pouch?!?

I never got around to making paper until this year. And voila! Yet another dream comes true!






Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

8 comments :

  1. Wow, when you want to get something done you sure find a way. Even making paper, that is awesome indeed.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pat! Super messy project, but super cool results!

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  2. Very cool! I get tired just trying to keep up with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for not ditching me and all my crazy ideas, Lizard!!!

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  3. This is so cool and extremely interesting! Wonderful investigating and gorgeous projects!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Penny! I'll probably make more paper, even though it is such a messy process!

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  4. Next you should make an aspen papier-maché tree with tiny little leaves, then you can yarn-bomb it with your aspen yarn! :D

    Everything turned out so beautifully - what an amazing golden colour. We didn't get much gold this fall - wrong weather conditions.

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    Replies
    1. Ooh, what an awesome idea! You've got my imagination spinning, Sue!

      Delete


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