I’ve been busy playing with eucalyptus gifts from my family. E. cinerea from my sister, which produces wonderful red prints and E. globulus, from Kate, from a felled tree in Hampstead.
E globulus has large leathery green sickle shaped leaves which gave colours from buttery yellow to pale orange and browns.
The leaves were wrapped and bound in the cloth and around copper and steel tubes and then boiled in various brews. The copper brought out the golden tones and the iron in the steel gave muted greys and blacks. I even wrapped and bound bone beads and put them in the brews with interesting results.
The wonderful thing about eucalyptus on wool is that is substantive without the mordants normally necessary for natural dyes. I need to see how the beads keep their colour.
Alex's Natural Dye Pot 