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DHA 43 Special Edition – Heritage
For anyone interested in dyeing with Alder and Alder Buckthorn Bark, can I bring your attention to papers which have been published in the DHA Special Edition of Heritage? This is opensource so can be accessed by anyone. Krista Wright has written “From bark to Dye – Ethnographic black and grey alder recipes from Finland and Estonia” Liis Luhamaa “Rotting for Red: Archival, Experimental and Analytical Research on Estonian traditions of decomposing Alder Buckthorn Bark before dyeing” Both papers have been supported by the WP2 team on the Colour4CRAFTS project – my role was the light fastness testing and analysis for the samples but all the hard work preparing and…
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2023 – A year completing a change
What with selling up in France and moving everything across to Leeds finding workspace for the business and becoming part of a significant new EU funded project I think 2023 can class as an interesting one. Let’s start with discussing – or not discussing the research. I am absolutely loving my time at Leeds, for years I have wanted to really know what happens with the mordanting process and at last I am being allowed to delve into it in depth. Part funded by the Cotton Industry War Memorial Trust (to whom I express my undying gratitude) I am obviously looking at cotton and cellulose in particular but started this…
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Francesco, Niccolo and Agnolo
The building may look a little in need of some repair, but you can see it has had status! I adore this building in the city of Prato, Italy. It was built back in the 14th Century by a gentleman called Francesco di Marco Datini. All it’s history is still within the building – the open doorway takes you inside the Palace … The artwork on the walls is fabulous – imagine what it must have looked like back in the late 1300’s when all was beautiful and new. The display boards at the side tell you about the man who had the palace built and his work. So, why…
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Dreams and reality?
I have some fabulous news to tell you! From Monday 1st November I will be a full time student again, studying at the University of Leeds. I have dreamed of researching the chemistry of dyeing and in particular the relationship between mordant and dye for more years than I care to mention (and probably bored you at events if you’ve given me an opening!). Science changed so much with the development of synthetic dyes, but unfortunately stopped for natural dyes in the early 1900’s. Now thankfully that is going to change! My studies are postgraduate research into mordants – the boring part of the process for most people, no colour…
