That's right
bugs.
This beetle is the
cochineal. They are plucked from cacti in Central and South America and their carcases are ground into a powder and used as dye. The dye has been used for hundreds of years by the indigenous of that part of the world. When the Europeans arrived, they went wild for colours it produced and for a time, the dye was a hottest export from the New World.
I was lucky enough to be a part of the cochineal group during the natural dye section of my "Precision Dyeing" class. Here the little ones themselves (may they rest in peace).
This is the ground up cochineal. Look at the change in colour! Nothing was added-- that is pure bug.
Oooo, so red. The cloth has to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Voila! The darker fabric is the protein fibres (wool and silk), the paler fabric is cellulose fibres (in this case, cotton/hemp and linen).
This beetle is the cochineal. They are plucked from cacti in Central and South America and their carcases are ground into a powder and used as dye. The dye has been used for hundreds of years by the indigenous of that part of the world. When the Europeans arrived, they went wild for colours it produced and for a time, the dye was a hottest export from the New World.
I was lucky enough to be a part of the cochineal group during the natural dye section of my "Precision Dyeing" class. Here the little ones themselves (may they rest in peace).
This is the ground up cochineal. Look at the change in colour! Nothing was added-- that is pure bug.
Oooo, so red. The cloth has to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Voila! The darker fabric is the protein fibres (wool and silk), the paler fabric is cellulose fibres (in this case, cotton/hemp and linen).
5 comments:
What incredible color! I almost want to begin harvesting bugs from my garden and grinding them into powder. What do you suppose Japanese beetles would yield?
what a great tutorial! and what a great shirt you're wearing... :) miss you guys!
When I worked at Walker Creek and finished furniture, my absolutely favorite finish was amber shellac, which is pretty much pure bug.
Wonderful colours! I recently took part in a natural dyeing workshop and we dyed sarongs with indigo. Great fun.
And of course now I'm addicted.
(Visting your blog via Cosy)
As you can see, I'm love your blog!
I used to work as a living historical tour guide (at Waterloo Village - Stanhope, NJ) during my college summers. I was the potter and weaver (and sheep-tender, which still amuses me to this day) We had a Dye Day and used cochineal bugs too.
"Did you know that the British wore red coats to show wealth? Only the wealthy had truly red clothing due to the scarce access to the cochineal bug which is native of Mexico and South America." Part of my "Schpeel"
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