This is such a bright and cheerful scarf, I use Brazilwood to dye the scarf first then I lay the sumac leaves on the silk. I use what is called an “iron blanket” in eco print world which sounds very medieval and daunting. In fact, it is a strip of cotton that has been soaked in rust water that is placed over the silk and leaves before being rolled into a bundle and bound tightly with string. The ferrous oxide reacts with the Brazilwood and deepens, or “saddens” the colouring around the leaves, leaving a vibrant relief of the sumac leaf. It takes a lot of saddening to make such a happy and colourful scarf.
P.S. I only use responsibly sourced Brazilwood.