#Natural Dyes

[kohanakonohana]

新しい着尺を織りはじめました。

I've just started to weave a new kimono fabric.

[thedimelion]

The results will be a unique and slightly rustic flag. In general, I want people to be aware of their impact when it comes to buying textiles, and that there is alternatives when wanting new clothing or similarities.

[blue-nebraska]

quilt-inspired barnyard bandanas block printed with natural dyes 🌱 (eucalyptus, madder, and weld)

ID: three photos of bandanas lying on the grass. they are each patterned with quilt squares and prints of strawberries, fish, snakes, and mushrooms, and printed in dark brown, red, and tan.

[comfortabletextiles]

Pland dyeing some SW Merino with black hollyhock flowers

Small test that marinated in the cold dye bath for 1 minute

Yarn was mordanted on 24. November and since then was kept damp

(on the logwood yarn because I want to weave them together)

[innervoiceartblog]

Natural Easter Egg dyes...

[unidentifiedmammal]

Current sample sheets and a couple pics of the liquid i've been using as watercolor, all extracted from purple iris or common violet in slightly different ways, and pH altered to give different colors due to anthocyanins (which i have been reading a bunch about and they ended up being a lot more complex than expected, and deserve their own text-heavy post, this is merely a pretty pictures post to prove i'm alive)

[randomcanfly]

I wanted to say thank you landlady @kohanakonohana for these beautiful hair ties! They're absolutely gorgeous, will share pictures of them in my hair later! She even included this adorable postcard of @straycatj , it's very cute! Everyone go support landlady!

[weavingforlooms]

natural hibiscus dye on a skein of wool!!! loooooook at the coloooooor 🥰 it also smells like rosa jamaica (the drink) which is a pleasant surprise

I had initially dyed this skein with blackberry dye but since I had also eaten most of the blackberries, it wasn’t a very deep dye and so I just over dyed it with hibiscus . I simmered that pot of hibiscus for hours and reduced as much as possible and I am very very happy I spent that time, it was worth it to get this color result !

[lichenaday]

Do you know much about dyeing with lichens? I don't know much about it myself but am curious on what the standpoint is from those who study them. Ethical harvesting has been a huge thing I have heard from dyers in what I have seen.

I do know a bit! I got really into collecting lichens for dying, but when it came to the actual dying part I kinda lost my hyperfocus. But everything I learned came from "Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book" by Karen Diadick Casselman, which has a great section on the ethics of harvesting. I try to only collect lichens for dying that:

I can recognize

I know are abundant

are detached from the substrate or are otherwise in danger of being destroyed

are in unprotected areas

I find plenty of material in roadside gutters, in parking lots, on walking trails and sidewalks, on broken or cut branches, at parks and just about every tiny green space around shops and office buildings, etc. etc. I would never advocate for large-scale or commercial harvesting or collection, the impact should be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and is a great way to learn about and connect with your local lichen species.

[solar-powered-potato]

Finally finished a shawl I've been working on for about 2 years (on and off - it spent over a year in a box...)

I dyed all the yarn myself using kitchen scraps (rhubarb, spinach, beetroot, cabbage, onion skins and turmeric)

[sca-nerd]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but Auntie Arwen's doesn't just sell some of the most incredible spice blends (Ultimate Garlic Insanity will water your crops, clear your skin, and heal your grandma), but they also sell supplies for natural fabric and fibre dyeing.

[kohanakonohana]

ヌノのとこさわると

たぶん　ちょーおこられるですので

She must be angry if I would touch her fabrics on the loom...

[winteringart]

Quilt #7!

IMAGE ID: A photograph of a finished quilt composed of naturally dyed fabrics. The quilting is red thread and the blocks are mostly half log cabins, with some random rectangles thrown in there. It’s mostly yellow and blue. END ID.

[sheepyhollows]

pinterest

[justalittlesolarpunk]

Solar dyeing with turmeric and weaving wool on a hand loom - I feel intensely retrofuturistic today

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

a terrible practice in what not to do when plant dying: an example

[a terrible practice in what not to do when plant dying: an example]

every year family friend send us expensive premium giant!!!!! waxberry/bayberry/idk what english speaking ppl usually call it. they delicious!! only slightly smaller than mouth open widest

n every year there juice inside package. this year had idea do plant dying. < impulse decision

not prepared. have unmordanted cashmere yarn (really inexpensive got second hand idk if it real) & unmordanted cotton fabric. this be interesting.

[id: left picture show waxberry, there 4 stack on top of eachother in small bowl size of hand. right picture have bowl of waxberry & bowl with little juice with fruit fork in it & cone of yarn n some already dyed pieces on paper. end id]

grabbed white vinegar as “last minute mordant”, n to be honest was just at most dip soak, few seconds at best, so it do anything? shrug

mid way realize should probably pre wash fiber (should specifically scour but ehhhhh)—especially for this cashmere (“cashmere”) yarn because for easy (machine) knit it been coated with something that help cashmere down not get all fluffy fuzzy hard knit with. n you suppose wash out after knit n yarn will bloom n be softer. so, thought may affect dying. so pre washed some samples before dye. by “wash,” specifically mean run under regular temperature water for like some seconds until complete wet n maybe use hand soap. it do anything? shrug again

n also. know animal protein & plant fiber sometimes have different dye process. but ehhh *throw hands*. proceed “mordant” one of cotton scrap same process as wool yarn.

previous dye experience: need heat source. last time was get help keep boil. this time too little liquid n don’t want get help boil anyway. so got help put in microwave…

[id: line up final product taped on white paper. labeled as yes/no prewash, white vinegar, & heat. there 5 pieces for yarn with varying amounts. all yarn visually look same color & stiff. there 2 piece cotton fabric. they look same as eachother but slightly more vibrant than yarn. end id]

result is…. everything pretty much look same.

because like. yeah. “mordanted” but not really, not suprise 10 20 second dip in room temp white vinegar going make giant difference. microwave for 10 seconds especially without proper scour mordant fixative, also doubt make big difference.

but, is really pretty color. it prettier in liquid, n when squeeze liquid out, get more muted, but still very pretty color, pinkish purplish. beet color but lighter?

n this without wash afterwards—found that. when wash, because not soak for long, n not mordant fixative properly, not heat properly, color mostly get out. some color still stay n become more of a muted almost pastel (as pastel as natural dye can be). n normally like pastel, but want keep this as waxberry-like as possible. so, didn’t wash. result is keep about same color when dry, but stiff n not that soft, as expected.

was just for fun, not going make anything out of, not to wear, not going hang as decoration so not worried abt lightfastness. so, satisfy with whatever this is.

then, with leftover dye, didn’t want waste, so threw in as much vinager dipped yarn as can cover liquid. heat it n let it be in heat for 20 minutes.

bad lighting, but. when wet:

[id: very saturated reddish pink yarn in bowl stained slightly pink & brown. end id]

n after, still damp so feel softer:

[id: first photo two small skein of yarn in pinkish purplish color on top of plant notebook. second photo in ball with one strand yarn lighter than rest. end id]

same yarn, main color difference because lighting not because inherent yarn.

except that one strand lighter than rest—that was test how yarn look like how much dye actually took with all improper but still slightly more effort process (more heat, longer). took more dye than when no heat or 10 second heat, but still visibly lighter.

when dry, that washed strand much softer than rest of stiff unwashed yarn. unwashed yarn slightly darker than previous attempts.

now room reeks of white vinegar.

but. will be enjoying delicious waxberry for rest of week >:)))

.

google search results: “did you mean: how NOT to dye natural fibers”

ultimately knew bad practice from beginning, but not really care, because meant be impulse fun anyway. n occupied me in special interest land for afternoon.