People seem to be experiencing more irritation from – if not allergies to – the synthetic chemicals that permeate twenty-first century life. For a more personal, sexier effect, try creating your own fragrance from fresh flowers – it’s fun and relaxing to play at being a modern-day apothecary.
Place the rose petals in a china bowl and bruise with a wooden spoon or pestle. Add 1/2 cup of the vodka and mix well. Pour over 1 cup of boiling water. Cover the bowl with clingwrap and store in a cool, dry place for 10 days.
Place the rosemary and orange zest in a bowl and bruise with a wooden spoon or pestle. Add the remaining vodka and boiling water, cover with clingwrap and set aside for 10 days.
After 10 days, strain off the rose petals and rosemary–orange mixture. Strain a second time through a coffee filter to remove the grit. Combine the two and store in a clean, dark-coloured glass bottle. Shake well before use.
Tie-dyeing was hugely popular during the 1970s – the combination of creating unstructured, random designs, slowly stirring pots of brightly coloured dye, and giving an old T-shirt or a pair of pillowslips a new lease of life is liberating, relaxing and satisfying all at once. It is also an inexpensive, hands-on opportunity to see something old, familiar – even boring – in a new light, and to transform it into something new and exciting that you can use almost straightaway. Maybe it’s time to bring the practice back!
There is the creative satisfaction that you get from working with colour and pattern. It’s a great craft to try if you are feeling stuck or worn-out.
Make up the dye in a bucket according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Roll up or pleat the material. Wind the rubber bands tightly around the fabric at intervals – this will create wiggly whitish strips, because the dye won’t be able to get to the fabric in those places.
Put on rubber gloves. Place the item in the bucket of dye, stirring gently with a stick or old wooden spoon. Still with the rubber gloves on, lift the item into the sink and rinse according to the manufacturer’s instructions (usually one rinse in hot water, then a second in cold). Leave the wet item on a pile of old newspapers to dry. When dry, cut away the rubber bands.
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