Walnut dyeing from Oxburgh Hall

There is more ongoing in my Cornwall Holiday journal but things are impossibly busy at the moment and I’ve a sea glass commission on the go so the journal pages have stalled.

Towards the end of the holiday I took the girls to visit my parents in Suffolk and incidentally scored the biggest piece of blue sea glass I’ve ever found on Southwold beach. Very pleased with that!

On the way home we decided to visit Oxburgh Hall.

I’ve been before but not with the girls…

…and after they had posed as sunflowers, we had a lovely time exploring this gorgeous house. On the way through the wooded area to the loos I found some green walnuts and collected a handful to try some natural dyeing.

Back home, chopped small and boiling in my dye pan.

And after straining the liquid, this was the result on a range of fabrics.

I clamped, tied and knotted a few of them before I put them in the pot.

Knotted silk.

Silk French lace over silk mix velvet.

I’d been clearing out the freezer and found some avocado skins and stones so I added them to the first walnut dye bath and went for another batch. There’s not much difference in the colour but I think the brown is a bit warmer and pinkier with the avocado added.

Some threads.

A bigger piece of silk dupion dyed in walnut first and then overdyed in walnut and avocado. There is a subtle difference but it’s not very clear in the photo.

Glad I spotted them on the floor among the vegetation and leaves!