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
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.
‘As the appearance of many articles of dress depends greatly upon the skill of the washerwoman, it is thought that a few hints on the subject may not be misapplied; these have been collected from experienced laundresses’. (The Workwoman’s Guide, 1840, p. 234) Continue reading Victorian Laundry: Washing And Stain Remover Recipes
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.
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)
I’ve made some tie dye samples using Indian and Japanese tie dye techniques. The first picture shows Japanese shibori designs, such as here and here. Continue reading DIY Indian And Japanese Tie Dye, And Print Samples
Here are some dye samples I’ve made using black beans. Continue reading Black Bean Dye Samples – Purple, Grey Green, And Blue
Black tea even stains polyester as these dye samples show! Continue reading Black Tea Dye On Polyester Lace and Fabric
Here are some more dye samples I’ve made. The first is common bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) on cotton fabric and silk fabric. To get this dark purple color, it’s necessary to use common bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) with dark red flesh; blueberries (Vaccinium cyanococcus) with white flesh don’t work. The fabrics aren’t mordanted. Continue reading Black, Purple, And Rust-Colored Dye Samples
These are yellow and orange natural dye samples which I’ve made. Continue reading Yellow And Orange Natural Dyes – Turmeric, Saffron, Onion Skin