During our Wild Living week of summer camp, we dyed merino wool with a variety of natural materials grown or gathered right here. They are (mostly) solar dyed, meaning we used the hot summer sun to heat up our dye material and it worked out great! Read on to see what we used to create these beautiful colors.
Read MoreSpring brings a variety of colors to the trees. From colorful blossoms to the bright green of emerging leaves, colors are everywhere. This craft is a simple way to capture the beauty of spring in a natural way. It would also be perfect to celebrate autumn's colors. We did this project in a class with students spanning kindergarten to 5th grade and all enjoyed it!
Supplies:
willow branches, other flexible branches or any store-bought wreath or hoop
brown yarn
roving or yarn in spring colors as well as brown for the trunk. Strips of fabric would work well too. Or make it super-nature-style and weave real branches and flowers into it!
You can purchase roving (unspun wool) in a variety of colors but we found multicolored options especially fun to use. Check your local yarn shop or look online. This Etsy search brings up a lot of hand-dyed options! Yarn can be used instead but is probably best for older students with the patience to complete a longer project. The fluffy roving is very forgiving for little hands and fills up the tree quickly.
We began by twisting willow branches* into small wreaths. Ours are about 8 inches in diameter. The ends are overlapped several inches to hold it in place. We found that some needed a little piece of tape to keep the ends in place. The tape was removed after the project was completed and everything help together just fine.
*If you don't have willow, any flexible branch will work, or you can use a purchased wreath or embroidery hoop.
Lengths of brown yarn were used as the warp - the strands that the tree would be woven onto. For each tree we cut 8 lengths of yarn about 2 1/2 times the diameter of the wreath. (if your wreath is much larger, you will likely need more.) Tie them evenly across about a quarter of the wreath, knotting them in the middle. If they're close together the tree will be narrow, while spacing them apart more creates a tree with a wider canopy.
Bring the ends of the yarn together at the bottom of the wreath and tie them, all together, in a knot around the wreath. Be careful not to pull too tight or you may change the shape of the wreath.
Now comes the fun part! The elementary school students who made the trees pictured at the top of this tutorial had a discussion about the colors they see in the trees. After naming such lovely colors as chartreuse green, bubblegum pink, and pale pinkish-white, they pulled off bits of roving and started weaving them in and out of the strands of yarn. Over, under, over, under. The beauty of this project is that it doesn't matter if you weave over and under each strand, or skip several. Some will show through and appear as branches.
Change colors as desired to create a colorful tree canopy. When you are ready to begin the trunk, use brown roving and wrap it around several strands of the yarn for about an inch. Repeat with remaining strands of yarn then join all strands together and continue wrapping until you reach the bottom of the wreath.
The nice thing about wool is that is sticks to itself so the ends mostly stay in place. Any stray ends can be tucked under strands of yarn in the back, creating a lovely, neat tree from the front!
Attach a loop of yarn to hang it, if desired, and enjoy your pop of seasonal colors!
During our day camps, we spend time outdoors no matter the weather, which is a little unpredictable on these spring days. We love exploring and providing fun opportunities to learn more about the natural world. If you are also dealing with springtime weather uncertainty, or just looking for some new spring-themed nature activities, here are eight of our favorites.
Read MoreLast week we held our first full-day nature program! When school was out for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we explored the forest, created nature-based art, played games and told stories. It was a great day!
Read MoreI want to share our beautiful classroom space with you! It's attached to the residence so it has easy access to all the amenities we may need during the day like bathrooms and a kitchen to make some delicious herbal tea to warm ourselves up in the winter. It has its own entrance, though, making it a cozy and welcoming space, as well as adding convenience to drop-offs and pick-ups for our youth programs.
Read MoreSamples of silk dyed with natural dyes. Cochineal, madder, onion skins, queen anne's lace flowers, and black walnut create a rainbow of colors!
Read MoreSite Description goes here.
Hi! This blog is written by me, Casey. I’m half of the duo that owns and operates Cedar Dell Forest Farm, just outside of Portland, OR. I’m an environmental educator, natural dyer and ecoprinter and an all-around nature-lover and fiber fanatic. We raise fiber animals, teach kids’ nature programs, natural dye workshops and have lots of fun in the forest. You can learn more about my family and me here.
