Can You Dye With Hibiscus
I've read for a few years about the dye potential in hibiscus and it felt tempting, but with all the harvesting I do with invasive species, dyeing with a cultured plant is an interesting change when you can convenient watch it from your porch. Deep red Hibiscus (above) shown with Nigra hollyhocks. Check out this tutorial for dyeing with Hibiscus sabdariffa flower petals, whose rich red color makes for a beautiful natural dye! Drop in one of our flower elixirs to the infuse the fabric with good vibes.
There is plenty of variety of hibiscus available so don't just eat any hibiscus flower. Hardy hibiscus grown in temperate climate are known to produce dye for fabric dyeing however from this experiment I found that animal fibres like silk do take the colour much better than cellulose fibre like cotton. Like many flowering plants, the petals and leaves of hibiscus plants can be collected and used to make dye.
Hibiscus Dye - Rosa Sinensis — All Natural Dyeing
Once the dye is prepared, you can experiment with dying fabrics and yarns to discover what colors your hibiscus can create. Unlike commercial dyes, which can guarantee consistent vibrancy and color tone, handmade natural dyes can be harder to duplicate, making the process and results. It's been a while since I've posted on natural dyeing, so today I thought I would write about dyeing with hibiscus.
Hibiscus is an interesting natural dye material as the color(s) achieved are highly variable; so much so that 'surprise' would be my key descriptor. Tips for growing and using Hibiscus flowers to create a beautiful Hibiscus dye for wool and fibre that has pinkish tones. Both of the natural dyeing books I'm referencing (Wild Color and A Dyer's Garden) give instructions for dyeing with hardy hibiscus, so I picked up tidbits from each.
HOW TO MAKE NATURAL DYE WITH HIBISCUS | ORGANIC COLOR | RED AND PINK ...
Collecting the dyestuff This was a bit of a challenge because I wanted 8 ounces but didn't have enough blooming at any one time to collect enough. Welcome to how to make dye from hibiscus. Rosa Sinensis, also known as Hibiscus dye is one of the nicest and most interesting colors you can acquire from a plant.
That's why it makes a lot of sense to create your own natural hibiscus dye. To make hibiscus flower dye, gently simmer hibiscus flower heads in filtered water for about 30 minutes. Avoid overheating, as it can turn the dye brown.
