Category Archives: Natural Dyeing & Printing

Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) Natural Dye Experiment

Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) Natural Dye Experiment

Some time ago, I tried to dye with bugleweed (Ajuga reptans). I brought the flowering bugleweed to a boil which turned the water blue. After letting the dye simmer for a few minutes, the water became green. Despite the promising colors, neither the blue nor the green water dyed wool yarn or cotton fabric. But the blue and green colored water is so pretty, isn’t it?

How To Dye With Avocado Skins

How To Dye With Avocado Skins

I dyed silk and cotton fabric with avocado skins. It’s a nice peach dye which doesn’t need a mordant. I dried the skins and chopped seeds of two avocados. The chopped avocado seeds become more red after contact with the air. Then I boiled the avocado skins, seeds and water for about one hour. The dye solution becomes reddish brown while boiling.

 

Then without removing the avocado pits and skins, I boiled the dye with the fabric again for about one hour. Some of the fabric I removed after that from the dye bath, while some of the fabric I left soaking till the next morning.

How To Make Medieval Blackthorn Ink – A Tutorial

How To Make Medieval Blackthorn Ink - A Tutorial

Blackthorn ink was one of the most used inks in medieval Europe; other ancient inks are oak gall ink and India ink. I was curious how blackthorn ink would write, so I’ve made some. The ink isn’t difficult to make, it just takes some time. I’ve written a tutorial, so that you can make your own blackthorn ink. Continue reading How To Make Medieval Blackthorn Ink – A Tutorial

Dyeing Cotton Yellow With Dandelion Flowers (Without Mordant)

dandelion dye cotton without mordant dandelion flowers natural yellow dye

I’ve dyed some cotton fabric yellow with dandelion flowers. I’ve gathered a potful of dandelion flowers, and boiled them for about an hour with some water. Then I’ve removed the flowers, and cooked the fabric again for about an hour in the dyebath. The prewashed, unmordanted, white cotton fabric turned a pretty pale yellow. I’ve exposed the fabric to the sun for some time and washed it: the color seems to be lightfast and wash fast.

Resist Printing Trials

indian resist print

I tried some resist printing with different pastes using flour, starch, wax and oil. I was inpired from the following articles: Indian resist printing with wax, African mud cloth (bogolanfini) made with starch resist, soy wax printing, different wax resist instructions, and flour paste resist printing. All, except the starch-water-solution, couldn’t be applied with my Indian wooden print stamps. Continue reading Resist Printing Trials

Blue Dye From Black Hollyhock Flowers

blue cotton purple silk hollyhock petal dye

I tried to naturally dye cotton and silk fabric blue with black hollyhock flowers. I poured boiling water over the hollyhock flowers and let the solution steep over night. On the next day, the soaking water was purple. Then I put silk and cotton fabric scraps into the natural dye solution and let it soak for some hours. By the way, I didn’t use a mordant or modifier. After rinsing the scraps in clear water, the cotton turned a pretty blue, while the silk stayed light purple.

How To Dye Cotton Blue With Black Beans (DIY Iron Mordant)

red cabbage dye sample

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to dye cotton fabric blue with black beans using DIY iron mordant and the cold dyeing process.

You’ll Need:

Continue reading How To Dye Cotton Blue With Black Beans (DIY Iron Mordant)