This is a blog post on fabric printing with red vein sorrel. Fabric printing is also known as bundle printing. Red vein sorrel is a perennial edible green. It grows like weeds come May time. Once established it needs to care at all. Therefore it is a good excuse to cut down this green and make a fabric printing. Here is tips on growing and harvesting red vein sorrel.
I have been fabric printing using natural leaves and flowers found and grown around me. The pattern on the leaf fascinates me therefore I knew it would make a print. It is possible to natural print on paper as well.
Fabric printing is pretty much a seasonal activity as leaves like red vein sorrel don’t last long. Mind you I have not tried freezing or drying it.
Fabric printing with red vein sorrel
To get going with fabric printing one will need to be familiar with the process. There are a few steps to fabric print fabric. Here are more details of the process using Logwood and Cotinus. I have used cotton fabric scoured with soy milk beforehand and let it dry. Scouring in soy helps cellulose fibers to take natural dye colors better. Otherwise, the colors will be pale and the prints wouldn’t be that interesting.
It is possible to use the microwave for the printing process but only for small bundles. I find that anything big the prints just doesn’t print evenly. This is because the heat from the microwave can be too strong and not gentle and damp like steam. Something to consider. I don’t mind using both methods but funny enough I find that microwaves can take longer as the size microwaves can’t fit many bundles. Low heat means using short bursts of microwave time then resting and short bursts again. That eats up time. Here is a write-up on printing fabrics using a microwave.
It is not possible to reuse the leaves as they are soft and break easily once steamed. Thank you for dropping by and reading. All the best to your natural printing.
There is definately a lot to find out about this subject. I like all the points you made