grape over dye.
10.15 
My obsession this week is over dyed linen. It started last weekend when I needed a surface on which to shoot the heirloom apples. I was tired of everything in my house and it was a Sunday at 4pm. I wanted some burlap and thought perhaps Purl might have some. I found not burlap but something else instead. Pieces of over dyed linens from a company called Norden Crafts, in the most beautiful soft natural colors, with names like “straw”, "putty" and "blue jeans" who can resist that? So I bought a couple. This morning as I cleared away breakfast I thought how sad it was that there were a few straggler Concord grapes that were destined not to be eaten. It was then at that moment that I thought GRAPE LINEN! I threw the handful or so of the grapes into a small pot with about 2cups of water. I smashed them down a bit and soon the water was hot and a beautiful pale purple. I strained the grapes from the liquid and set that part aside to be discarded. I poured the watered down grape juice back into the pot. I had a piece of buckwheat colored linen that I wasn’t crazy about so I rashly threw it in the pot and tossed it about until it was completely covered with the grape liquid. The linen soaked up all the water and it was a fairly perfect ratio. (Could have been a disaster with that little water) If you were doing a larger piece you would of course have to amp up your ratios.
And so it is that I now have this beautiful little piece of grape linen. It is the small things in life that make me most happy.
Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved
concord grapes, grape, hand dyed, linen, over dyed linen in food 
Reader Comments (6)
wow thats a seriously pretty color. I think about doing this all the time with fabric, so now I will have to for sure. These color is stunning!!!
Andrea it is so beautiful! Love it!
this is amazing -- what a fantastic color just from the grapes, i love it!
So incredibly beautiful! I use natural things for eggs dyes (purple cabbage, onion skins, turmeric), but my one attempt to dye a linen caftan purple—with beets—left me with an unfortunate yellow color! Guess I'll be trying again with some Concords next year...
I dyed a pale yellow linen in beets and it too came out a deeper yellow!
strange indeed!
beautiful!!!