How to Dye Fabric Using Plants. A list of 83 plants {and directions!} on how to dye fabric using plants from your garden. Whether you're a gardener, artist, or DIY enthusiast, growing your own dye plants can be a rewarding and sustainable practice.
In this article, we highlight 16 colorful plants that can be used as natural dyes and share insights on how to extract and use their pigments effectively. Using oak as a natural dye For anyone interested in natural dyeing with oak leaves, this is a wonderful dye source, to begin with. As a dye source, the leaves are rich in tannin and can provide a surprising range of natural hues.
You can naturally dye with the leaves, branches bark & acorns, all producing beautiful earthy tones. King of the forest In ancient Ireland, the Oak held special. Notes from first natural dyeing experiment with Japanese maple leaves in fall season.
Three dye batches using fallen leaves from two trees. Fafafoom Studio. You can retain the leaves for a boiling water dye bath, with alum-mordanted yarn to get pink, yellow, or peach fibre, from the flavonoids in the leaves.
Add 2 tsp. of washing soda to bring the dye extract to a pH of 8. You may dye synthetic fabrics with plants, but the colors will be less vibrant.
It is a good idea to use a scrap of fabric to test the color and to gauge the color saturation before you begin the dyeing process. Many of the plants we grow like lavender, nettles, goldenrod, and elderberries can be used as natural dyes for fabrics like cotton, linen plus wool and silk. Use this starter guide to begin creating botanical dyes from your garden.
For a sample recipe also see the lavender dye recipe here. You've heard of vegetable and cut flower gardens, but what about dye gardens? Dying yarn and fabrics with plant-based dyes allows you to create beautiful hues and develop a new appreciation for plants. If you're not sure where to get started, join Briana Yablonski to learn 21 plants you can use as natural dyes.
Did you know that a great source for natural dyes can be found right in your own back yard! Roots, nuts and flowers are just a few common natural ways. If you're interested in spinning your own fibers, you may be interested in foraging and growing dye plants to color them as well.