One of my fun projects this summer has been doing some natural dyeing. It
appeals to both my frugal self and to my creative self. Frugal, because by
foraging for dyestuffs, I get them for free. Creative, because there are many ways to get nuances
of color variation. And it's useful! Fabrics and yarn can be dyed of course,
as can other natural materials: leather, paper, shells, bones, horns, stones,
feathers, hard boiled eggs, reeds for basket making. Even some plastics will
take up the dye pigments.
Natural dyeing is time consuming in the sense that it sometimes takes several
days to complete a project, but it's no more labor intensive than canning,
cheesemaking, or making bread. It requires specific tasks to be done at
specific times, but with long wait times in between.
I have two books for reference:
Here are this summer's results. Some of them are what I hoped to get. Others
were a surprise! The links in the captions will take you to more photos with
specifics about the process for dyeing with each plant.
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pear leaves (another color can be obtained from the bark) |
So that's this summer's experiments. Now I'm thinking ahead to next year.
Not only to foraging, but also to planting a dyer's garden. More to come about
that one of these days.
19 comments:
The pokeberry is by far my favourite! Will you be spinning the results?
Rosalea, I was thrilled with the red from the pokeberries. Temperature seems to be key for getting red with them.
Yes, eventually I will spin them. I have a box of natural dye samples from a medieval dyeing workshop I took years ago, and one of these days, I hope to have enough samples to spin for a fair isle sweater. :)
Beautiful Leigh! Do you have Beautyberry bushes in your area? We have them here in FL/GA & when we're doing yard work, at least one of us winds up with stains on our clothes.
Maybe you'll plant indigo! I've done quite a bit of natural dyeing, from local plants, so interesting the different colors, and unexpected at times. The color of plants doesn't always tell you what color they'll yield.
You have been having fun! I also very much enjoyed doing lots of natural dyeing with wool back in the winter and spring. Have you found the pokeberry dye to be fast, or fugitive? It's gorgeous. I'm soon going to do a dye bath with my ammonia method with lichen. I LOVE lichen dyeing!! I'm collecting marigold blooms all this summer and drying them for a dye bath later this year. It's very fun, but then you end up with piles of fiber to spin, haha!
I have an acquaintance up in Wisconsin that is big into dying. She harvests locally sheared wool, processes it, naturally dyes it and then makes it into gloves, hats, and other types of clothing to sell. It definitely isn't a quick results sort of project but I'm always impressed with her skills.
Leigh - It is fascinating to see the results side by side. I would love to see how this end up in something you make. It would be an interesting comparison with "modern" fabrics.
You got some great results there. You continue to amaze me.
Deb, thanks! I used to have a beautyberry bush but it got cut down. :( It would definitely be fun to experiment with.
Liz, I'm definitely considering it! Indigo and woad because I would love to have a source of blue.
Very true about plant color and plant dye color. But that's part of what makes if fun. :)
M.K., so good to hear from your! The pokeberry recipe I used was Carol Leigh's non-fading pokeberry dye recipe. She did her master's thesis on pokeberry dyeing. I think the link under my photo will take you to where you can find the recipe. The key is concentrated vinegar for color fastness. The key to red is keeping the temp below simmering. She claims good color fastness, except in sun. But then, nothing is color fast in sun.
Ed, very fun! It isn't quick and the results aren't predictable, which some people don't like. I'm planning to continue to experiment and expand my repertoire of recipes, as well as my color samples.
TB, I have a pattern for a Celtic design sweater that I someday hope to knit. Not sure how I'd work in all my colors, but I'd love to make it happen!
Sue, I appreciate that. :) Sometimes I amaze myself!
Leigh you sound like Harrison Ford in Indiana flicks. Love the plan and the experimentation.
Goatldi, ha! A fiber artist's adventure. :)
Wow, those colors are stunning. I have been to many fiber fairs - the most recent one was the Maryland Sheep and Wool Fair - and I have seen many color fibers - most using commercial dyes and let me say - that stock was not as beautiful as what you have shown here. Great Job.
RT, thanks! The vibrancy of natural dyes can be stunning. For commercial sales, I think most people prefer commercial dyes for their consistency of results. Next year I could repeat all of these experiments, and wouldn't be surprised if I got different results.
Nothing short of amazing! Nature is always giving, giving, giving. I want to be like that when I grow up. ;0D
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