Fabric dyeing with horse chestnut (conkers) fabric and ink from horse chestnut (conker) dye In order to extract dye from the leaves, one needs to heat/ simmer the leaves. For concentrated dye liquid simmer with a minimum of water. Simmer the leaves till it is wilted and the liquid becomes reddish-brown.
Then add the fibres. I used silk, wool. Horse Chestnuts are a member of the soapberry family, and the conkers contain saponin, which you can easily process into soap for washing clothing.
The husks are high in tannin and, when used with an alum mordant at 15% WOF, I have achieved a brown colour on wool yarn which so far, has been lightfast. Horse chestnut conkers can be used to create an effective soap substitute, and the spiky husks make an attractive natural dye. I promised I'd show you some more of my experiments with natural dyeing.
Let me first show you the result and then I'll tell you how I did it. Close to my home there are plenty of horse. List of natural dye yielding plants - flowers, leaves, bark, nuts and more to create beautiful natural dyed colors.
Discover the art of dyeing fabric using chestnuts in my latest video, "Dye Fabric with Chestnuts for a Natural & Unique Look (2024)." Join me as I explore this sustainable and eco. Certain tannin-bearing plant materials work especially well as mordants, such as horse chestnuts, pine bark, certain roots, some leaves, acorns, oak galls, pomegranate rind, and some fruits. Check out our tips for getting pleasant tan and sandstone colors using Chestnut Extract Natural Dye.
Explore the art of natural dyeing with horse chestnut husks. Learn how to create beautiful eco. The image above is the result of imprint dyeing with horse chestnut and cleavers.
Living matter imprints an image on cloth or paper when it is in close contact in the right conditions. Natural dyeing is not a new art.