Week 7 - Applications of Plant Dye Part 2

This week, I continued exploring the possibilities of applying my naturally dyed fabrics in creative and meaningful ways. Building off the pH stencil dye method I experimented with last week, I created a new fabric design featuring a crane pattern. I cut out a stencil of cranes, and then used a mixture of vinegar and flour to stencil dye it onto the fabric. Then, I embroidered floral details around them. One thing I really enjoyed about this piece was that the embroidery is double-sided, so it can be appreciated from both the front and the back. 

In another experiment, I used hibiscus dye to create a fabric with a soft pink gradient. To deepen and enrich the color, I added some cabbage dye, which introduced subtle blue tones. From this fabric, I cut out small circles, which I plan to use in a separate piece. Interestingly, the leftover fabric after cutting out the circles had an organic, vein-like look, so I sewed it onto a piece of translucent fabric. 

For the separate piece using small circles, I’m not totally satisfied with the arrangement yet. The composition currently creates a straight line, which feels too rigid and unbalanced for the flow I’m aiming for. I plan to rework this element so the layout feels more natural and less structured.

That’s all for this week, there will be more updates next week!