Bright Ideas - Program

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Natural Dying Fabrics

Pathfinders – Natural Environment # 17

How to make natural dyes from plant materials

• Choose blossoms in full bloom, and ripe berries.
• Avoid gathering from the wild – take blossoms from gardens so that you leaving the wilderness for others to enjoy.
• To make the dye solution cut the plant material into small pieces, add to double the amount of water as you have plant material. and bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour
• Now you can add prepared fabric
• The longer you allow the material to be in the dye solution the stronger the colour will be.
• For very dark colours leave fabric in over night.

To prepare the fabric

• Choose plain fabrics, white or even better unbleached
• natural fibres work best (cotton and muslin work best)
• Soak the fabric in a colour fixative before dyeing to increase the ability of the dye to set in the fabric.

• Salt fixative for dyes made from berries – 1 part salt to 16 parts cold water
• Vinegar fixative for fabrics made from other plant materials –1 part vinegar to 4 parts cold water to
• For both types of fixative add the fabric to the fixative and simmer for an hour.
• Rinse the material and squeeze out excess.
• Continue rinsing in cool water until the water runs clear.

To dye the fabric

• Strain plant materials from dye baths
• Place the wet fabric in the dye bath.
• Simmer until you have the desired colour but remember that the colour will lighten as it dries.
• Always wear gloves when working with dyes,
• Use a pot that will not be used for cooking when dying fabric.

To make the following colours use:

• Brown – walnut hulls, tea bags, juniper berries, coffee grinds, acorns (boiled)
• Orange – sassafras leaves
• Pinks – strawberries, cherries, raspberries
• Light green – lily of the valley leaves
• Red – dandelion roots, beets, rose hips, red onion skins, chokecherries
• Blues Purple – red cabbage, elderberries, grapes, blueberries, cherry roots, red maple tree inner bark
• Yellow onion skins, marigold blossoms, willow leaves, celery leaves,
• Green – spinach leaves, grass, before putting in fabric

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