Solar Dye experiment
Several months ago I was intrigued by the idea of solar dye==a product made by Jacquard with the dye activated by the sun. With a free afternoon and plenty of sun, I decided to set up an experiment and see what happened. I used a pieced block of tan and cream, picked a fern frond from my front yard, slathered on the dye, layered a piece of acrylic, then the fabric, then the frond, and then another piece of acrylic and put it in the sun.
Although the impression was quite obvious when I first peeked, the dye continued to activate even though I retreated with it into the kitchen to rinse out the dye.
The entire piece has a bluish hue so I think immediate rinsing and perhaps less generous application of dye might give a better result.
Still it was a fun experiment and I’m eager to try again—today was dismally rainy–my garden appreciated the rain but no solar dyeing.
Here you can see the original tan color, the faint blue that is developing and the purplish swipe of the dye that is still wet.
Sylvia Weir Art 