Could not resist posting this, taken last weekend at a www.plantdyedwool workshop with Jane Meredith. I'm really lucky as she is just 8 miles from Upper Newton, on the riverbank. I joined forced with the Brecon Weavers and Spinners Guild for a happy, if rather roast day natural dyeing Cotswold fleece with coreopsis, nettle, madder, meadowsweet, weld, indigo, woad, tansy all tested with chrome, copper, alum and some without mordant.
My dye plant area in the garden is developing, I picked up seven madder plants from Aardvark books in Brampton Bryan (don't forget the Scarecrow Festival 3/4 August this year), at their antique festival and rendezvoused with Cottage Herbery. It's the best thing about local nurseries, you get a personal service. I had been chatting to them at Shobden Food Festival on the aerodrome - ok next door to it, and arranged to see them three weeks later. I did the same thing at the Farmer's Market in Hereford - I had forgotten to plant Nicotiana Sylvestris so ordered and arranged to pick up at the next market - perfect.
