Because of how often I use and dye wool, I’m always fascinated by how other people dye their fabric. I knew people used plants, but after doing a little research to try it on my own, I was shocked to see how many different types of plants can be used to basically get every color of the rainbow and beyond.
Being an avid gardener, I started making a list of all the plants I was already growing that I could use to dye things. I did a little more exploration and came up with all sorts of plants to produce all sorts of colors. Dying fabric from plant dyes is going to be a fun project for me. Here are some plants you can use to make these colors:
Red: Lichen, eucalyptus, St. John’s Wort, chokecherries, beets, bloodroot, pomegranate, crab apple, juniper, rose petals, blackberries
Orange: Paprika, carrots, butternut seeds, dahlias, chicory, sunflower, turmeric
Yellow: Marigold, yarrow leaves, horseradish, saffron, sage, turmeric, alfalfa, bay leaves, celery leaves, dead daffodil heads, dahlias, dandelions, elderberry
Green: Artichokes, nettle leaves, red onion, spinach, sage, peppermint, Queen Anne’s Lace, chamomile, bayberry, foxglove, larkspur, hydrangea, lilac
Blue: Indigo, elderberries, blueberries, dogwood, hyacinth, red cabbage, purple, iris
Purple: Blackberry, blueberry, hibiscus, huckleberry, basil, hollyhock petals
Pink: Rose petals, beets, avocado seeds, cherries, lavender, raspberries, strawberries
Brown: Onion skin, eucalyptus, dandelion roots, alder bark, beet root, fennel, ivy, poplar bark, geranium, hops, pine tree bark
Black: Oregano, black walnut, blackberry, meadow sweet, oak galls, sumac leaves, sunflower
A few quick tips if you are planning on doing this. Make sure the plants/nuts/berries you use as dye are mature, ripe or in full bloom. To make your dye, you typically need 2 parts water to one part plant, etc.
Chop your plant material into small pieces and boil for an hour or two, strain, and then dunk whatever fabric you are dyeing {make sure the fabric is wet}. Simmer in the water dye until the desired color is reached.
You can also let the fabric soak overnight and skip the simmering step {when I dye wool, I like to let darker colors soak overnight to zap all the color out of the water}.
Have you ever used any plants as dye? How did it turn out? Any tips? I’d love to hear them.
Keep Calm and Carry On,
~Mavis
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They even sell firewood and crushed seashells! And compost… and seeds and herbs and perennials, and cookies and pies in the farm store and well, the list just goes on and on.
