#rtgdyetests

[hexagong]

recycled cotton. alum + cream of tartar mordant. white / baking soda + cabbage / cabbage / cabbage + lemon juice / avocado plant dyes. fall 2019 Round Trip Goods. 

[roundtripgoods]

Tassel / Ribbon dyed in indigo. 4 Dips before washed, and after washed & pH balanced. We will use for tapestry tassels, scarf ends, tying packages. 

Leah Rich 2020. Round Trip Goods

[hexagong]

Alum + cream of tartar mordant on recycled cotton. acidic to alkaline variants with madderroot extract. fall 2019. 

[hexagong]

marigold into indigo and indigo into madder into burnt madder. hemp cotton jersey fabric. Fall 2019. Leah Rich / RTG

[hexagong]

alkaline mordanted cotton. Baking soda + madder, tumeric. fall 2019

[roundtripgoods]

Clothespin Shibori Indigo Noren Prototype 1

Indigo dyed shibori on recycled cotton. LEah Rich / Round Trip Goods

[hexagong]

Majority of tests and color variations as of January 2020. Leah Rich / Round Trip goods.   1.alkaline madder + tumeric 2.avocado 3.Quebracho 4.quebracho + indigo honeycomb pattern  5.deep indigo 6. indigo with clothespin shibori 7. indigo + madder 8. indigo + madder in a honeycomb style 9. Madder 10. light indigo with madder overlay 11. madder variant 12. marigold 13. indigo pleats with marigold. 14. indigo into marigold 

[roundtripgoods]

Eclipse Scarf Prototype 1

Recycled cotton. two ply. alkaline madder + tumeric, indigo on opposite side. Indigo Tassles. Cotton embroidery. Leah Rich / RTG 2020

[hexagong]

marigold over indigo, and an indigo dyed. both recycled cotton. fall 2019

[hexagong]

marigold test #1, alkaline mordanted. fall 2019

[roundtripgoods]

Achiote Pods and Bundle Dyeing on the go

I was so excited to witness all the plant life in Costa Rica that I brought a scoured and mordanted piece of cotton and some string so that I might bundle dye a glorious bandana from the fallen flowers I come across. Let me be clear I had no intention and did not remove any plant matter from any forests, I only collected flowers along roadsides and neighborhoods that had fallen, along with 1 achiote pod from the farm I stayed on, with permission. 

So, during our first week, I gathered bright crimson hibiscus, bougainvillea, and other bold and lovely flowers and kept them in the fridge until I thought I had enough. Well, humidity was real down there, and moving from place to place, this closed up plastic bag just made everything get old and slimy quick. So, I worked with what I had, composted the flowers that turned to brown much, added in the fresh achiote seeds and pod skin, and bundled up my cotton fabric. I didn’t have a great way of steaming this fabric, so I left it in hot water. Many aspects of this experiment were not ideal, but it was a great learning lesson. Flowers need to dry out if they are to be saved (or frozen and not thawed until ready), and proper steaming really helps bring out colors if you are bundle dyeing. 

I think in the future, when traveling in humid places, I will simply enjoy the flora without collecting, or steam fresh flowers the day they are gathered. The last two images are of the fabric after being washed and dryed. 

[roundtripgoods]

Tartarian Honeysuckle : A neighborhood plant on the edge of an alley, blooming mid may. The flowers were beautiful, but perhaps not the most interesting of colors to impart on cotton. 

[roundtripgoods]

Crossweed, this plant is named, although I dont have a picture of the actual plant outdoors. Its a common small weed that grows here in the city in Denver, and blooms a little later than common storksbill, and is similar in that it also has small purple flowers. Another purple giving off green scenario. 

[roundtripgoods]

Alfalfa grows commonly in myneighborhood and I noticed it blooming late june this year. I picked a couple flower heads and tested its color. I think the purple flowers imparted the greener colors on the test cotton. 

[roundtripgoods]

Pillowcase Prototypes. 

Left: alkaline Madder scrunch dye method with tumeric.

Right: indigo spiral dye. 

winter 2019-2020

Leah Rich / Round Trip Goods