The colours of naturally dyed velvet lately are starting to show on Samara, apt because while she represents Autumn in all its glory, these colours too are part of harvests and landscapes. (Click on her for a close-up.)
I’m fondling these as well, with ideas percolating. Velvet is a bit tricky, requiring more patience to stitch, but simple shapes and manipulation techniques might work. Maybe a sister to Samara? (As long as she doesn’t take coming up 3+ years to create….)
When chemistry has its own way.
I bet i couldn’t replicate this if i tried…..I had used this tannin bath already twice, and it was filtered water, but the tannin had started to oxidize, and it also showed me that either my filtered water system leaves some iron in, or that the original scouring had left a residual, BUT it’s the most gorgeous silver and fawn i’ve ever seen. The right side is actually the bottom edges, and the left is the middle where it was folded over a rod to hang to dry. The iron migrated then to the bottoms so it was still pretty “loose”.
I’m hoping that after a good rinse, it’s much the same. (Silk velvet)
Natural dyes and silk velvet have an affinity for each other, like a love poem whispered into a breeze, like feather soft caresses, cool water on hot naked skin, sensual and earthy, sharing the privacy of deep emotion and quiet solitude.
Pure silk velvet is a dream to turn into art, or functional but stunning accessories. For embroidery on this, i would advise backing with a soft but firmly woven cotton (cotton flannel is excellent!), and use bold embroidery stitches, like chain, whipped backstitch or whipped running stitch, in 6 strand floss or #3, #5 or *8 perle. If you are doing satin or other covering stitches, a small piece of stabilizer is recommended. Beading is wonderful as well!!!!!
Listing for the large squares is now active.
EDIT: LARGE PACKS SOLD OUT.
EDIT: listing for smaller pieces is now open, 4 packs only. SOLD OUT
rain
haze
passion
purple…velvet…natural dyes…heavenly
I’ve had a love affair with velvet since i was 12 and found a Vogue magazine that advised “A pant of lavender panne velvet is the essential in a bohemian styled wardrobe.” I’m not sure *how* i thought my 60cent an hour babysitting jobs were going to finance the purchase of an $800 garment, but that was obviously beside the point 
(I’ve never forgotten that quote either…) Natural dyes coupled with silk velvet have me quite giddy at the moment. 😍
I just have to fire up the indigo pot, do some dye combinations and extend the colour range a bit more as we need greens, blues, purples, almost-blacks, different pinks!
Listings will start on July 5th, with 2 differently sized packs, and as always, i refund any extra shipping paid!
I should be/am slowly working on Samara, but i keep returning to the ethnic embroideries of Central Asia.
What if i did this sort of thing:
with these?
Admittedly, silk velvet , *any* velvet is a bitch to sew, slipping, sliding and slithering everywhere but where it’s supposed to go, BUT. I have more patience now with my work, and intend to this all by hand, so maybe a lot of pinning and bulldog clipping?
Or mix with some of the other recent textured fabrics? Yup.
Perhaps some indigo again?
what shape will this one become?
Cutch and madder on silk velvet, MOAN. Can’t wait to work with these beauties! Admittedly i wanted the madder red on the velvet like the last few cotton results, but this deep rose is yumshy, wonderful with that foxy cutch!
