Patricia Stoneseed

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since Apr 22, 2022

Biography

I have had my eyes on food quality, permaculture/regeneration since the late 1970's as a grower at times and an advocate always for organic, open pollinated, public domain seeds. I previously had a website - Local Food Bloomington and as Local Food presented resources to the community that included the Simply Healthy Fairs and Healing Sound Concerts. There have been starts, stops and detours and now I am (hopeful) to once again finding my way to new gardens and connections. I am doing what I can.
I am (again) launching a seed preservation project based upon heirloom seeds collected in the early 1980's and the eearly 1990's and some more recent. Seeds in my collection are mainly beans, some Native corn, cowpeas, and others. I am seeking to repatriate some of these old seeds (even if not alive) to Native resources because, sadly, some of the corns I have not found elsewhere.

I am setting up a web as STONE SEED Preservation Initiative and will put information here once I get it up. I have no idea how what I am doing will work out, or how long I will be able to ride this horse, or if any others will continue what I begin, but time will tell.

I am an artist/craftswoman/poet/storyteller working in different media. Through the years, I have focused on traditional crafts and home skills. Last year I began finding my way with Indiana Cane to make a few wrapped cane baskets. Recently I have been exploring dyeing fabrics with Morning Glory flowers and now, since I am down to my last few dried Morning Glory flowers, the last month has seen me working with Hibiscus Sabdariffa for dye. I post to Instagram as @quilterscomfort and @patriciaccolemanart

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Southern Indiana

https://quilterscomfort.com

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Recent posts by Patricia Stoneseed

Dyeing with native plants

In the midwest, a good orange can be obtained from Beggar Ticks, a three lobed leaf, I have Bidens tripartita, here are cut flowers and leaves. Colorful tree leaves and garden herbs also make good dye. Marigolds are great but a bit smelly. You may have wild mugwort and maybe, unfortunately, have invasive stilt grass. The grass can give a nice tans and golden color. I am playing with pairing it with morning glory flowers. I am finally getting some nice blues from this color of flower attached. Work outside when using strong smelling herbs and definitely with other plants. Roses when unsprayed give different colors for me on cotton, silk and bamboo. Peony leaves make great prints. I do not know how my water reacts to the plants. I use tap water set out to release chlorine. I am using alum mordant for my best dye results. Good experimenting.

3 weeks ago

dyeing

Kakishibu (persimmon tannin liquid)

I understand about the rabbit hole. One question seems to lead to another. Kakishibu was and may still be used in coating stencils. The fermented persimmon also when used as a paint, was a deterrent to wood damaging insects. You got good color results. I dyed a number of pairs of socks to the point where they are lacqured on the outside. Hard to the touch. Glad the inside is silky soft. Now to test to see if the socks are slightly water repellant. I have two canvas bags green persimmon dyed and next will put on a coating of beeswax.

3 weeks ago

dyeing

Kakishibu (persimmon tannin liquid)

Hello May,
Thank you for your comments.
My use of green persimmons comes from what I think I understand from Korean dyers of the Jeju islands.
I posted a brief update to https://quilterscomfort.blogspot.com. I will assemble a persimmon web resource list from my searches. I have mostly been working with the green persimmon. I cover them with “set out water” to process. I have purchased some kakishibu ferment to compare with the fresh when used on paper. There is a lacquer like finish. Fresh green persimmon can give a hard, lacquer like finish too. I have saturated multiple times two canvas bags, leaving them to soak overnight and now dry, each has a hardened surface. I do find it interesting that the persimmon really develops one side on fabrics. I also have bamboo socks and some fabrics with hard coatings. I need to check the persimmon I put to ferment last year. When I last checked in mid winter, all of the jars had “a mother”, like in vinegar. I put some of the liquid to fabric and color came easily when sun dried. I need to strain and rebottle as soon as possible.

1 month ago

dyeing

Kakishibu (persimmon tannin liquid)

I am just now completing my second green persimmon dye season and months of figuring out how to dye with the leaves. I have to check the development of my ferments started last year. I am ready to make a new post to the quilterscomfort blog. In working with the green persimmons, I get a more water repellant surface that does not harden inside surfaces. When using the leaf, I get consistent persimmon tans but with a softer finish. On silk, the persimmon leaf is a persimmon golden color. You will be working around the weather, bringing in dyed items when you have continual days of rain, then returning to the sun again. There seems to be more available pigment in earlier drops. I put some prepared dyes in the refrigerator when having multiple rain days. Refrigerated dyes were bought to room temperature before using. I do think that the pigment reduces over many days in the fridge. As persimmons ripen, they loose their ability to dye. As pieces dry, I redip for depth of color. Sometimes I scrunch up fabric to achieve a mottled texture. I am doing some shibori stitching and getting even dyes. At present, shibori patterns are easier to achieve using leaf dye. High cost associated with products is because of time and labor involved in the dye process.

1 month ago

dyeing

Kakishibu (persimmon tannin liquid)

I spent some weeks this summer dying with the falling green persimmons. Here is a brief post about the process. As noted in the post, I am fermenting some for future use.
https://quilterscomfort.blogspot.com/2023/09/indiana-persimmon-astringent-dye.html

10 months ago

dyeing