Im sick of people trashing the 'damsel in distress. That simply means a girl who can't save herself. If you want to write a story about a girl who saves the day do so, but don't stomp on those who can't help themselves that's not what heroes do.
Solar dyeing with lupin flowers again! Last summer I tried this for the first time, and it turned out pretty, but sadly the blue color faded in the wash. This time I used more alum, which is a mordant and should make the dye stick to the fabric and last longer. I'll try rinsing it with vinegar after taking it out, which should help with the fading as well. And I'll hand-wash it with cool water instead of machine washing.
Here's a short how to:
Wet the shirt with water. Stuff it with flowers, roll it up and put in a big glass jar with more flowers on the bottom and sides.
Measure 10-20% of the dry shirts's weight in alum and dissolve in hot water. Add the alum-water to the jar.
Fill the jar with water all the way to the top. Try to get as few air bubbles as you can in the jar so that it doesn't start to grow mold. Cover the top with some cling film and then put on the lid to make it air-tight.
Place on the windowsill to soak in the sun for two weeks. I have a plate and some tissue under the jar in case it leaks.
Take the shirt out and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. You can try adding some vinegar to the last rinse to help the color last longer.
Dry and enjoy! Hand-wash in cold water to not fade the color.
This jar method is really eco dyeing, because it uses the sun's energy, and the lupin flowers are an invasive species here in Finland. You can use other materials as well, like many kitchen scraps! Onion skins, citrus peels, tea bags... I've collected some already!
Landau C. & White T. - [2000] - What They Don't Teach You at Film School : Landau C. & White T. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive