Free eBook ~ Getting Started with Natural Dyeing

Getting Started with Natural Dyeing

Everything you need to know to start dyeing fabric with Natural Dyes!!!

 

Free in my shop today!

30 Day Challenge Samples

Samples from 1998 from previous 30 Day Cold water trials.  These will be  used for the 30 Day Challenge I'm holding at the Natural Surface Academy this winter.  I will put my notes into an eBook for Academy members, along with scans of the samples.

Future Art Cloth

A large tub filled with muslin that overwintered in the tomato garden.  Will be washing this batch tomorrow, about 30 yards worth, and then putting it through the paces for bundles and immersion dye baths.

Zine Update

I will update the Zine tomorrow, I was supposed to do so today, my pupils were dilated by the eye doc today and it's still difficult to read.

First up making soy milk binder (and an explanation of why it's NOT a mordant) and then dyeing handmade papers and the like with natural dyes!

Cochineal Vat

4 ounces of Cochineal was used to dye alum mordanted silk velvet, dupioni, and organa fabrics.

Madder Root Dyed Vintage Lace and Trims

Vintage lace and trims I picked up at a yard sale this summer, some are antiques. Everything has been scoured by washing twice in hot water - to get rid of the smell, then boiled with soda ash for two hours. The items were then mordanted with alum and soaked for two days in the alum vat, I then dyed everything with Madder Root Extract I left them to soak in the madder root vat for two days. The brighter yellow items are made of nylon hence the color.

Dyeing With Onion Skins

Fall is an excellent time to dye with onion skins as Onions are being harvested now!

Materials List:

Wool
Onion Skins

Alum

Stainless Steel Pot

Water

Heat Source

You will need to mordant your wool with Alum first to ensure that your color is permanent.

Onion Skin Dye Bath

• Take onion skins and place in stainless steel pot, make sure this is a studio dedicated pot, and cover with hot or boiling water.
  
• Allow to sit overnight.


• The next day bring dye pot to a simmer and leave for one hour.


• Remove onion skins if desired - leaving them will create a mottled yarn or fabric.


• Place wet rinsed mordanted wool into dye bath and simmer for two hours.


• If using the cold dyeing method leave wool overnight in the dye bath.


• Remove wool from dye bath, rinse snd dry


• NOTE: wool may have a slight onion smell this is normal with natural dyed goods.
  

Your wool is now ready to use!