Plantastic Colours

What do bored housewives get up to?

"Honey I have got a stain on my golf t shirt?"
"Have you tried to get it off?"
"Yes but it is worse."

Never fear the plants are here!!!

Today I decided to try and dye my hubby´s t shirt as it was beyond repair and much loved.
He entrusted it to me to fix and I did with some natural herb and plant dyes.

Look at the results! I was amazed, so was he ;-))

Here is how I done it and why there is a difference in colours between his on the left and mine on the right.

To fix the colours

Take for plants:-  4 parts cold water to 1 part vinegar

Take for berries/fruits:- 1/2 cup of salt to 8 cups of cold water (to be honest though the berries would have to be in a very bad way for me not to want to eat them)

Anyways I took herbs and plants from the garden, swiss chard old leaves, rosemary sprigs, lavender leaves, old lemon balm leaves and I chopped them roughly and added them to half of the vinegar and water liquid

and I brought it to the boil, then I tied twisted knots into the t shirt to create the tie dyed effect, I secured the twists with rubber bands and pieces of wool, cloth etc.

I then turned off the heat and steeped the t shirt with all the tied knots into the liquid and stirred it around and then left it for some time (depends on intensity of colour required) then I took it out of this pot and added it the other pot.

In another pot I put chopped carrot, calendula flowers, turmeric powder with the remaining vinegar and water liquid and turned up the heat to heat the liquid through.

Then from one pot to the other I put the tshirt and let it steep in the yellow liquid as before.

Once I was happy with colour I removed the t shirt and rinsed it thoroughly with cold water and hung it outside to dry, I will wash it tomorrow properly (by hand) and hang out again then it is ready to wear. Please wash separately by hand as colours will run again and again and again, it is a natural dye.

The other t shirt, the more lemony one was just put into the pot with the carrot, turmeric and calendula hence the difference in colour and I just tied this t shirt into a big knot to achieve this tie dyed effect.

Please note: I will not be responsible for any divorces, dying of other articles of clothing from your tie dyed articles, skin dyes or any other unforeseen events, if you have a go be it at your own risk. :-))