Winged Elm are native to East Texas and they have a close relative, the Cedar Elm, in Central and West Texas. The dye books I used just said to use elm, so I just tried the ones in my yard. I went into more details of the process in the post, but as I recall, I soaked some elm twigs in water for a week or two, and then covered them with tap water (we have a well), heated to a boil, turned it off and let it set over night. The next day I added skeins (some mordanted with alum, some not mordanted at all), heated just to boiling, simmered for an hour, turned off the heat and let them cool in the pot overnight. I am very slapdash in my efforts, not scientific at all – basically I just add some water to some plants, throw in some yarn, heat it for a little while, and then let it set for a night.
I’ve never seen a winged elm. What part of the country did you find a tree. Also, what parts were used and how was the dye prepared?
Winged Elm are native to East Texas and they have a close relative, the Cedar Elm, in Central and West Texas. The dye books I used just said to use elm, so I just tried the ones in my yard. I went into more details of the process in the post, but as I recall, I soaked some elm twigs in water for a week or two, and then covered them with tap water (we have a well), heated to a boil, turned it off and let it set over night. The next day I added skeins (some mordanted with alum, some not mordanted at all), heated just to boiling, simmered for an hour, turned off the heat and let them cool in the pot overnight. I am very slapdash in my efforts, not scientific at all – basically I just add some water to some plants, throw in some yarn, heat it for a little while, and then let it set for a night.