As I've been playing about with natural dyes for the last
six months, playing being the operative word, it’s probably about time that I
share a few of my tentative findings. Six months is not nearly enough time to learn such a
complicated ancient craft, but there are a few things that I am now certain of:
-
Plant fibres (cotton and linen) are much harder
to dye than animal fibres (silk and wool) which is a bit of a pest as a maker
of books.
-
A mordant is essential when trying to dye plant
fibres. I have been using Aluminium acetate, which is fabulously straight
forward, but I have been advised to have a go at using the more traditional
method (yet to be researched enough to explain here).
-
Scouring linens (removing any dirt or grease) is
also essential.
-
Make notes … lots of notes.
As anticipated all of my
naturally dyed fabrics have faded to a certain degree, but some were more
resistant to fading than others. A lot of
natural dyes are “Fugitive” i.e. they run for the hills as soon as daylight
hits them or when they are washed, leaving behind a lovely soft grey or off
white. So here is a list of the least light fast dyes in order of their fading
speed:
- Woad seedlings are a blackbird’s delicacy.
- Iron oxide changes the colour of a dye dramatically, but be warned … it rots the fabric, which can be a bit of challenge if you, like me, are using vintage linens.
- A forgotten dye bath is the ideal growing culture for mould … I have grown a lot of mould!
-
Red cabbage: fantastic fun and a brilliant way
to understand how acids and alkalis change the colour of a dye. However, the colour
fades whilst drying and can be washed out instantly.
-
Black beans: create the most gorgeous blue black
dye which fades back to the original fabric colour over a few days.
-
Rhubarb stalks: smell gorgeous and produce the
most beautiful soft pink which fades back to off white over a few weeks.
-
Berries: I’ve tried Elderberry, Mahonia, Sloes, Bilberries,
Blackberries and Black Currants … all fade to grey. It’s a lovely soft grey … but
I did mourn a little for those vibrant purples and blues.
I am not sure how hard and fast
this rule is, but I think I can summarise: “the easier a plant gives up its dye,
the faster the colour fades away” …
I’ve also learnt that:
- Iron oxide changes the colour of a dye dramatically, but be warned … it rots the fabric, which can be a bit of challenge if you, like me, are using vintage linens.
- A forgotten dye bath is the ideal growing culture for mould … I have grown a lot of mould!
I’ve had a few successes along the way:
- Onion skins: I love
onion dye! Onions skins are marvellous things which create reasonably light
fast dyes ranging from olive green to yellow then through to orange. Next step I’ve
got to work out how I got russet orange when I was aiming for yellow.
- Avocado skins: Antique pinks through to orange then deep
browns and pretty light fast too.
- Golden Rod: Bright yellows through to golden yellow and
then to pale green. Also, shouting “Oi Claire!
… wanna see my Golden Rod?!” is a pretty effective way to silence a busy makers’
market.
- Walnuts: rich
chocolates through to soft beiges as the dye bath becomes exhausted.
- Plant bashing: leaves and stalks bashed between two pieces
of fabric to release their stain then darkened with a dunk in an iron bath.
- Freezing petals is a great way to release the dye without
damaging it. I haven’t quite mastered getting a pretty pink, but I have
obtained a few subtle beiges and the most gorgeous bright yellow from Golden Rod.
Colouring fabrics with natural dyes is the most fascinating
process and I have plans to explore it much more. So many books to read and
methods to try out. I have a bag full of
Bowles Black violas waiting in the freezer (it had to be done) and some Jet
black Hollyhock seeds ready to be planted ... only two years to wait until they
flower …. Now there’s commitment for you.
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