So what have I been doing this week to progress my project? Digging!
I have been talking to the team at the Arran Community Land Initiative here in Whiting Bay. They are interested in my project and are happy to help me learn more about the plants that I can use to create natural plant dyes that have been grown here on the Isle of Arran. They have provided me with some materials to get me started : I have left with a bag of Corn Marigolds that I am itching to get into the dye pot, and some comfrey leaves that are simmering away gently as I write this!
They have also found a patch of land that I am going to tend and grow plants that will provide me with lots of dyeing materials.... so this weekend I have been digging over the plot of land ready to start planting.
This is how it looked before I started digging:
....and after:
I must give credit to Cameron who did a lot of the digging - but I did play my part! So the project is not just about picking a few flowers and making felt pictures - there is some hard graft going into this too!!
I am now planning which plants to experiment with ... but top of my list is Woad (as I am hoping to get some blues from the leaves). I will keep you updated when the planting begins, but if you are passing through Whiting Bay do pop up to the Land Initiative and keep an eye on my progress!