Homemade rust water (iron mordant) for eco printing

What is rust water (aka iron water), how do you make it and what can you use it for? Are you new to eco printing or interested in working without traditional powdered mordants in a health conscious and environmentally sustainable way? Do you want to learn all about creating your own rust water (rather than working with commercial ferrous sulphate) to help achieve lasting colour and prints when using leaves, seed pods and onion skins to colour your textiles? During this short video I share what rust water is, different ways to make it and one way of using it to transform an old linen tablecloth and old gardening smock using blackberry leaves and rosebay willowherb! There are many other uses for rust water in the eco print and natural dye studio but this is my favourite!

00:01 Introduction from Nicola
01:04 What is a traditional powdered mordant?
01:54 What is rust (iron) water?
02:20 Different ways of making rust water
03:20 How I use rust water to help fix colour when eco printing cellulose fabric and clothing
04:00 Recommended vegetation and basic equipment that I use when bundling
04:20 Laying out vegetation on a vintage Irish linen and lace table cloth and an old gardening smock then rolling up the bundles
05:59 Adding bundles to the ‘dirty’ pot
06:16 Bundles out of the pot, unrolling to reveal the prints
06:55 Prints prior to washing and ironing
07:36 Finished eco prints on a linen table cloth and old cotton gardening smock (as well as the trousers that I am wearing myself!)

My aim is to cultivate a sustainable, nature focused practice helping creatives and slow living enthusiasts feel connected, understood and supported. Since 2029 I've had multiple wet felting and eco printing workshop success stories in Ireland, North America, Australia and mainland Europe.

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