Thursday, July 14, 2011

tea dyed muslin solution

it's lavender time and I've been trying to keep up with the harvest



I bundle it up and wrap it with a rubber band and hang it upside down
it's hanging from chandeliers, curtain rods and this umbrella
the smell is heavenly



in the past, I've just tied the bundles with raffia or twine
then I hang them in various places for the coming year
but, over time, they tend to slip out of their string and make a mess

enter the solution:



I've torn muslin into strips and tea dyed it



and I tightly wrapped the bundles this time
I'm not totally sure I like it .... they're like little mummies now :)
but I don't think they'll be slipping out and dropping on the floor anymore


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

They look almost like tussie mussies! Quite pretty really. I just want to bask in that smell. xox Corrine

sukipoet said...

ah, wonderful smell, i am smelling it all the way over on this side of the country!

my cup of tea said...

Now they could be wedding bouquets!
I need to harvest mine too.
Have a great day!
~Donna~

Jill said...

However you bundle them, the smell would be lovely. I canNOT imagine having that much lavender. I planted about 9 plants this year, we'll see how it ends up. One is still just a twig but the rest are growing. Maybe you should make a lavender wreath. (see my post today)

Caryl said...

I am green with envy. I love lavender. My daughter has rosemary bushes out side her front door and I can smell it the minute I get out of my car. Love the lovely lavender ;o)

Halle said...

They are beautiful like that! I agree that they look like wedding bouquets now. How beautiful would that be for a wedding!?! Just have to time the wedding right and then the bride could turn her bouquet over and dry it. ***says the girl who eloped so she wouldn't have to deal with any of this stuff***

Terri Kahrs said...

Clever solution to a tricky drying situation!!! Leave it to you, Kimmie, to find a technique that's so aesthetically pleasing!!! Hugs, Terri xoxo

Gayle Price said...

I think your muslin wrapped lavender bundles look beautiful, and your photos are gorgeous. Why do they have to hang upside-down? I feel like i want to put them upright in a beautiful old cane basket or an Italian painted vase.........do they dry better this way with the air circulating, I have never dried flowers before ( obviously ).

She Who Doodles said...

do you have a favorite variety? i just picked some fresh for a vase, love the smell. i like how you have tied them. the dyed muslin looks good. do you then sell them like that?

~*~Patty S said...

very lovely...you have such pretty different kinds of Lavender too...I have used plain ole rubber bands over the years until my bunches are completely dry and shrunken down in size...I adore Lavender!
oxo

Teri said...

I know what you mean about them falling out of the bundles. I used to wrap mine tightly with rubber bands but then the rubber would get weak and the bundles would fall. Do you have a solution to the head of the lavender falling off? It seems that as they get dry they seem to fall off the stem with the slightest bit of pressure or movement. Should we just strip the stems completely and forget about them looking like tight little bundels?

Elizabeth said...

That's so beautiful. I wish I'd done that with my few bouquets that I picked on the lavender farm. One question: when they dry do they drop their flowers all over the place?

gaby ♥ said...

aMO LAS LAVANDAS, SU AROMA, SU COLOR ; EN MIS VACACIONES ACÁ EN ARGENTINA, EN CÓRDOBA, VOY SIEMPRE AL CAMPO DE LAVANDAS Y COMPRO LAS FLORES PARA MIS ARTESANÍAS Y MI HOGAR, QUÉ FLOR MÁS BELLA!!, ME ENCANTÓ TU POST!! BESOSS

Unknown said...

Hi Gayle, if they hang upside-down to dry, the stems stay nice and straight.

Teri and Elizabeth, I haven't had the buds fall off, unless they get bumped into somehow. It helps to have tightly closed buds and not the opened flower.

Catharina Maria said...

The smell is wonderful and the hanging perfect !
Love ♥RINI♥

Laura Tringali Holmes said...

Tussie mussies were already mentioned, but that's exactly what I was thinking of. Lucky you to have all that lavender!

Nancy said...

I love the colours you have :) Lavendar is on of my favourite scents.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Not sure how I missed this post, but this is a fantastic tip! If I ever have a lavender harvest, I will keep that in mind.