Natural Dyeing
Before the discovery of aneline dyes (in 1856) yarns and fabrics were all dyed with natural plant and animal dyes.
The early settlers in New England made use of the abundant vegetation to dye many different colors.
In addition, substances such as indigo and cochineal were available through trade with the southern colonies and with the Indies.
A wide range of colors were available to the colonial housewife because of her skill in
using available plants and with the addition of plant and chemical mordants.
Because of the toxicity of most of the mordants, we are not going to use them in our shared dyebath recipies. (our fibers for sale that we have dyed for you were dyed with mordants and thus colors are deeper and more colorfast).
While this does affect the colorfastness of the finished samples,
the basic colors obtainable still represent a wide color range.
Some suggested plants to use for coloring fibers: onion skins, dandelion flowers, lavender flowers, curry, sumac , purple basil and more. Experiment with flower petals and vegetables (beets), have fun! Dye Happy!
Basic Recipe:
Fill 6-quart enamel or aluminum or enameled pot loosely with plant material and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and boil gently for 30 - 60 minutes.
Strain plant material and discard, saving the dye liquid.
Put the wet fleece and/or fabric in the dye bath and simmer gently 30 - 90 minutes.
(Length of time will determine intensity of color). After 30 minutes, add 1 cup of vinegar to help set the color.
Remove the pot from the heat and (a.) rinse the fleece/fabric now, or (b) leave the fleece/fabric in the dye bath overnight (for stronger color).
Rinse fleece/fabric well and air dry.
We have some beautiful rovings, handspun yarns and knit kits in an array of naturaly dyed colors,
email us for current limited small batch selections
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