The International Fungi & Fibre Federation

Letter from Scotland by Trisha Gow

Marilyn Caddell and I went on a foray on our return from Sweden to Glen Tress near Peebles. This area has been extensively developed for cycling and has rough tracks all over the woods. As a result many of the areas we found dye fungi have gone. We found a few C. semi sanquineus but went back to the tree line, where no-one now goes, to find some Phaeolus schweinitzii and Paxillus atrotomentosus . I also found Phaeolus in my local woods – a good year for it I think.

This autumn Marilyn and Jeanette are planning a visit to Belfast in Northern Ireland to run a fungi dye workshop. Trisha Gow and Carole Thorpe are going to do a fungi dye demonstration for the Berkshire Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers (near Oxford, England)

Trisha has been experimenting with solar dyeing using fungi and is just setting up some new jars .......This involves mordanting fibres and layering in the fungi and then they sit in the sun! I am going to try some Hapilopilus nidulans and possibly Phaelous schweinitzii to see how the dye / ammonia mixture works!