Paint vs. Patience

Summer sunshine eventually calls for the sun sensitive fabric paints. My boys love to do this too. We brought the paints along to a recent trip to "the pond" place. I made a curtain/valance with oak leaves and the boys made a print each of their own design.

Youngest contemplating composition, leaves to be used in hands - oldest applying paint with my help.


The boys' designs - youngest on the left, I love the circles all lined up on the same side - oldest on the right, note the pirate jolly roger, crossed swords and all. These are done as soon as the paint is dry and the printing process is complete - the mark has been made. As they dry it is still so hard not to peek.

I started a couple of natural dye projects too. One with white cotton - oak leaves wrapped inside - tied to a bottle and sitting in a dye bath of oak leaves and acorns/caps. I took a peek after one week and not much happening - wrapped it back up and left it as it was for another week. Will see what happens when we return - the raccoons may knock it over - but then something more may happen as it dries?





We also placed a roll of cloth into the pond/giant oak leaf dye pot. My husband first gave me the idea as we discussed the pond's coloring - brown and full of tannin from all of the leaves over time. The pond is surrounded by trees - many of them oak.

We placed the bundle in shallow water with a few inky black leaves and mud from the bottom gently laid over it. We will check on it now and then.

It has been fun to hear both boys mention coloring things with water and whatever might make a color - to have planted a curiosity there. Also sort of sad listening to the youngest try to work out the words dye and die.