KOCHI: It is one thing to be fascinated by a new DIY project you come across on social media. With the pandemic confining all of us to our homes over the past year, there has been no dearth of such videos on the internet.
However, it’s a completely different ballgame to be so consumed by a craft that your hands itch to try it for yourself. 21-year-old art student Vaishnavi Ramesh found herself in a similar rabbit hole when she came across the process of dying cloth using hues from the natural flora around her. Vaishnavi’s obsession grew when she discovered she could impress leaves and flowers onto cloth to create an eco print that is truly organic and unique from the fashion trends she had previously come across.
In just a few months, the Wayanad native has mastered the hard-to-perfect skill by coming up with designs that blend natural dying process with eco prints of leaves and blooms to furnish a repertoire of earthy fabrics that are one-of-a-kind. “Even with my art practice, I don’t like to stick to one style. I have always been the one to experiment.
I knew a few students from college who were trying natural dyes but the interest took over during lockdown when I started watching videos on YouTube. The first attempt was failure. I spoke to a professor who gave me a few tips. I think the process is beautiful and therapeutic and the result is always a surprise.
You never know what to expect,” says Vaishnavi who is studying applied arts in Government College of Fine Arts, Thrissur. Having initially started with a coarse cotton cloth and old garments, Vaishnavi began dying with tea, coffee, Vetiver and Manjadi seeds. She fine tuned the process of eco printing by strategically placing leaves and flowers on the fabric to achieve a desired design pattern rather than the abstract motifs she had come across on tutorial videos online.
“This will be the basis of my final year project. I am also planning to start a small venture selling the eco prints but before that I want to use the cloths for a while to test the print’s durability. Since it’s natural, the print tends to be sensitive to the climate,” adds Vaishnavi.
Eco printing process
Soak the cloth in a solution of vinegar and alum for between 30 and 45 minutes. Dip it in a solution of Iron Sulphate to get a darker imprint. Arrange the leaves and flowers according to the desired pattern. Roll the fabric tightly and tie with a string. Place a transparent plastic sheet on the top to avoid mirror print. Steam the rolled fabric for about two hours, unroll and let the cloth dry.