Mordants and Assists available at The Yarn Tree Today I’d like to talk about mordants.The word mordant comes from the French word “mordre” – to bite. The mordant combines with a natural dye and fixes the color to the material. Mordants make the color richer, lightfast and wash-fast.

Want to learn how to make natural dyes at home (with items you likely already have?) This guide has everything you need to get started!

Welcome to the amazing world of yarn dyeing!!! Have you ever wanted to start dyeing your own yarn or just wanted to see how it was done? It can be an intensive process or one that is simpler depending upon what yarn dyeing technique and material you are using. Liz of HighFiberArtz has created an

Dyeing yarn with rosemary is a great way to get started with natural dyeing. Rosemary is readily available in many regions, even if you

This blog post contains a step-by-step approach of how to dye yarn with dandelions. Although they are often considered weeds, dandelions have

Explore a comprehensive list of plants that yield vibrant natural dyes, from avocado pits to turmeric. Perfect for natural dyers seeking to experiment with colors from the garden, kitchen, and beyond.

In this easy guide to dyeing with natural indigo, we cover natural indigo vat types and best practices when dyeing with indigo.

In this post I want to highlight the important topic of mordanting and help you chose which mordant to use for your natural dyeing project.

This blog post is all about iron (ferrous sulfate) as a natural dye modifier. When it comes to natural dyeing, iron plays an important role

In this post I want to highlight the important topic of mordanting and help you chose which mordant to use for your natural dyeing project.

Mordants and Assists available at The Yarn Tree Today I’d like to talk about mordants.The word mordant comes from the French word “mordre” – to bite. The mordant combines with a natural dye and fixes the color to the material. Mordants make the color richer, lightfast and wash-fast.

In this post I want to highlight the important topic of mordanting and help you chose which mordant to use for your natural dyeing project.

Have you ever wanted to try natural dyeing? It's as easy as raiding your pantry! Check out this step-by-step tutorial for how to dye yarn using black beans to get a gorgeous smokey blue color!

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When I retired on 1 January 2016, the first thing I started doing was daily walks that started as hour-long outings and grew into 3-hour explorations every morning of the streets and parks within a…

Anyone who can make a pot of tea can dye a skein of wool or yard of plain linen to whatever color they want, using commonly found plants.

This article contains an overview of natural green dyes that can be used to dye both yarn and fabric. The first color that comes to mind when

Today I want to share my experience on natural dyeing with amaranth with you. I grew the amaranth ‘Hopi red dye’ variety from seed for the...

If you have never attempted dyeing with peach leaves, it is not difficult. Read here for more instruction to obtain a good yellow dye from peach leaves.

How to Dye Cotton Yarn at Home. Take your Knitting or Crochet to the next level by dyeing your own cotton yarn. Easy step by step tutorial!

The ultimate guide to natural dyeing. A comprehensive guide to all the everything you nrrd to know. Quick, easy and simple to read. Free Guide

My woad plant (Isatis Tinctoria) suffered quite an extensive catepillar attack while I was away this summer. I thought it best to dye with it as soon as possible before it got all eaten away. This …

I took my time when creating these dye samples. I gathered plenty of yellow onion skins to fill my dye pot completely. I added water to my pot, boiled the skins for 30 minutes, and allowed the skins to soak in the bath for a few days. I strained the skins from the bath and added my (pre wet) fabric. I brought the dye bath back to a boil for 30 mins with my fabric, keeping an eye on the surface making sure to release any air bubbles from the fabric. I allowed the fabric to soak in the bath overnight. This amount of time isn't necessary to achieve color results, but it is how and why my colors are so saturated.

Natural Dyes I have spent the last few days experimenting with natural dyes made from plant products. The process has given me a new appreciation for natural colours and fabrics. It has been a fascinating journey as I have tested the validity of different information on the topic and worked with the natural dyes. The information below has been gathered from research and my own findings. What Can Be Used as Natural Dyes? The best thing about natural dyeing is that the ingredients you need are fairly easy to come by. Here are just a few materials you can use (and the colors you’ll get with each). Brown Onion skins (yellow/orange) Red Onion Skins Coffee grounds/tea (brown) Strawberries/cherries (pink) Roses (pink) Lavender (pink) Red cabbage (blue/purple) Hyacinth flowers (blue) Beets (deep red) Iris roots (gray/black) Daylily blooms (red/purple) Artichokes (green) Celery leaves (yellow) Turmeric (yellow) Mulberries/blueberries/blackberries (purples) Red Hibiscus Flower (reds-purples) How to Get Started Straining the dye Step 1: Prepare the Dye Chop your plant or berries into small pieces, measure them, and put them in a medium-to-large pot. Add twice as much water as ingredients (if you put in two cups of plant material, add four cups of water). Bring to a boil, and then simmer for one hour. Strain off the hard materials and keep the “dye.” Keep in mind that the longer you let the materials sit in the water, the stronger your dye is going to be. If you have the time, you can even let it soak overnight (without heat) to get a really concentrated solution. Red Onion Skins Red Cabbage Brown Onion Skins Beets Red Hibiscus Vinegar Fixative Step 2: Prepare the Fixative Once you’ve picked out what you want to dye and you’ve got your dye all ready to go, you have to prepare a fixative for your fabric. This will “fix” the dye into the fibers so it won’t wash out. If you’re using berries to dye your fabric, you should use a salt fixative. Put 1/2 cup salt in 8 cups of water. Put your fabric in here and boil for one hour. If you’re using plants to dye your fabric, you have to use a vinegar fixative. Combine one part vinegar and four parts water, and boil the fabric in the mixture for one hour. When your fabric is done, rinse it out under cold water. Step 3: Dye the Fabric All you do now is place your wet fabric into the dye bath and simmer until the fabric has reached the color and shade you want. The color is going to be a bit lighter once the fabric dries out. Then, wash the fabric separately under running cold water until the water runs clear. Beetroot Dye Red Cabbage dye Brown Onion Dye Red Onion Dye Tea dye Red Hibiscus Dye Turmeric tie-dye Turmeric dyes (with tie dye) Sample natural dyes Sample natural dyes Red Hibisus colour after rinsing Red Cabbage dye pre-wash Beet pre-wash Brown onion pre-wash Names of dye for each fabric sample Naturally dyed fabric As evidenced by the pictures, natural dyes really do work! The easiest colours to obtain are brown, yellow, red and purple tones. I tried several of the listed natural dyes for green (grass, spinach & red onion skins) but none of them were successful; in fact, the red onion skins produced a strong brown/red colour. All of the colours are muted compared to the pre-wash colour. This may be simply the process for natural dyes. I did not use any chemical fixatives; these may have helped to hold the colours better!

How to Speckle Dye Yarn (Step by step guide). Learn all about dyeing sprinkled or speckled yarn with Kool Aid drink powder.

Marigolds are one of the easiest flowers to experiment with due to accessibility and a simple dye process, yet here I am, 15 years into dyeing, using them for the first time. One of my 2018 g…

Natural Dyeing with Black Beans - Part of my Natural Dyeing Series. Step by step tutorial shows you how to dye yarn or wool with black beans.

In this Beginner’s Guide to Natural Dyes you will learn how to produce intense and bright colors using natural dyes. Free Printable Dye list.

Nature has such amazing colors and so many gorgeous layers and color combinations. Have you ever wondered if you could dye yarn with a particular herb or other plants nearby you? Growing up I loved to read and in several of my book adventures were people that had created dyes out of the everyday nat

During our Wild Living week of summer camp, we dyed merino wool with a variety of natural materials grown or gathered right here. They are (mostly) solar dyed, meaning we used the hot summer sun to heat up our dye material and it worked out great! Read on to see what we used to create these beautifu

You can grow natural dyes for wool in your back yard garden. As farm folks at heart, it's natural for us to prefer do it yourself projects.

I recently dyed yarn with avocados for the first time and I can’t believe I waited so long to try this out! I shared the entire experience and step-by-step tutorial on Instagram here and it continues with rounds 3 and 4 here! I absolutely fell in love with this process. It’s simple, easy, and so...

Learn how to naturally change the shade of your fabric with a tea-dye. It's easy, and anticipation over the results are part of the fun!

We have been experimenting with making dye from lichen with excellent results. Click through for our step by step instructions.

Natural Dye from Plants using Dandelion Flowers - Step by step tutorial for dyeing yarn or fabric with dandelion flowers from your backyard.

Beginner's Guide to Hand Dyeing Yarn Learn the basics of how to hand dye beautiful yarn! Where to find yarn, what type of dye to use and more

Today I want to share my experience on natural dyeing with amaranth with you. I grew the amaranth ‘Hopi red dye’ variety from seed for the...

During our Wild Living week of summer camp, we dyed merino wool with a variety of natural materials grown or gathered right here. They are (mostly) solar dyed, meaning we used the hot summer sun to heat up our dye material and it worked out great! Read on to see what we used to create these beautifu

If you want to use natural dyes in your projects and on your fabrics, you need...dye! Grow your own plant dyes to get dye from flowers.

Mordants used in natural dyeing. Defining mordant such as Allum, Copper, Tin, Iron and Chrome. Protein and cellulose fibers

Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece: Custom-Color Your Favorite Fibers with Dip-Dyeing, Hand-Painting, Tie-Dyeing, and Other Creative Techniques [Callahan, Gail] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece: Custom-Color Your Favorite Fibers with Dip-Dyeing, Hand-Painting, Tie-Dyeing, and Other Creative Techniques

Learn how to extract dye from acorns, and use it to achieve a beautiful range of natural color, including tans, browns, and blacks!

Marigolds are one of the easiest flowers to experiment with due to accessibility and a simple dye process, yet here I am, 15 years into dyeing, using them for the first time. One of my 2018 g…

It may seem old-fashioned to use onion skins to dye a hand-stitched quilt that's meant to be handed down for generations. But Texas-based quilter Maura Gra

Natural dyes that don't need mordant. Discover the reason why you can avoid the use of a mordant while using these 5 natural dyes.

Natural Dyeing with Black Beans - Part of my Natural Dyeing Series. Step by step tutorial shows you how to dye yarn or wool with black beans.

Learn how to make natural and organic black dye with acorns by using iron water as a modifier. Step by step tutorial. Easy to follow instructions.

Some plants or dye materials contain tannins in high concentrations. In these cases, tannins can act as natural mordants ...

How to Dye Fabric Using Plants. A list of 83 plants {and directions!} on how to dye fabric using plants from your garden.