Is it possible to dye with berries so it can be washed with normal clothes?

[AGnu]

We've got a big blackberry harvest & about 1/4 of the berries have been damaged so I thought I'd use them to experiment with making dye. I'd love to tie-dye DS2's muslins but don't want to have to be handwashing them forever! I'm not bothered about some fading but will they always be leaching purple onto everything if I tried washing them in the machine?

Yes they will leach colour very quickly and basically be a nightmare. It is a lovely idea though!

Thanks for that link PG! With that, a little googling & this recipe I think I'll give it a go & use foil to line the pan for the pre-dye treatment stage to act as a mordant. They're just cheapy muslins & we're forever losing them so I won't be devastated if it doesn't work right!

Oooh, I was thinking exactly this the other day. Have you tried the recipe yet? Has it worked?

Not yet. It's my project for this week. I'd have done it this weekend but DH rudely refused to take toddler DS1 & ebf newborn DS2 away to visit family without me. He's so mean to me sometimes! Will try to remember to take some pinterest/blog-worthy before & after shots!

I'm excited, I've got a stash of elder berries and a birthday coming up, happy days.

I did it! It went a lovely shade of purple that faded to a paler, bluer colour once rinsed/dry. I then hand-washed it to see how much dye came out... The second it came into contact with the soap it turned grey! It's only non-bio so I'm not quite sure why that happened but... I like it! It's much funkier than the 'meh' purple it was before! It's spinning at the moment & then I'll tumble-dry it & take yet more photos. Then I'll wash it again to see if it turns fluorescent green or something!

How do I upload photos into a post?

My next project is going to either be turmeric or nettles.

I once did this with the excess of dandelion leaves from my garden. I dyed some calico which turned a lovely pale green.......... but oh the stench

For anyone who wants pics, I've gone all self-absorbed & started a blog! PM me if you want a link!