Since September began, I've been dyeing it with marigold flowers.
Marigolds are also called pyrethrum, We are planting them here and there in the empty spaces in our indigo fields.
The old lady next door shared this with me when she was still healthy. We use seeds that have been handed down in Itoshiro for many years.
It is an easy-to-grow and hardy flower, and everyone in Itoshiro plants it.
When I first came to Itoshiro, the flowers were so beautiful that I thought maybe this would dye, so I gave it a try.
I usually use leaves and tree trunks for dyeing, This was a little experiment as I believe flower petals don't stain.
However!
A beautiful dye solution appears, and the handkerchiefs dyed with it are so beautiful.
The color turned out to be a golden yellow, fitting for the name Marie "Gold." Since then, we have been using marigold flowers grown in our fields to dye our fabric.
This year, I wanted to dye a lot, so I collected the flowers as they bloomed and froze them, repeatedly to secure dye materials.
At that time, the lady living next door said to me, "You can pick some of our fruit." They were growing marigolds in a much better way than we were growing in our field, so We are delighted!
I filled three or four large bags with flowers alone and used them for dyeing.
Since the dye is done using only flowers, it is necessary to grow a huge amount of them. Although I hope to one day create a large marigold field of my own, I am grateful and happy to be able to dye with the help of those around me.
Every year I say to myself, "Next year will be the year!" but first I need to collect the seeds so that I can grow marigolds again next year.
I am grateful to be able to dye it beautifully every year.
