ANyone make their own dyes from plant material?

8 replies

JinglePrunes · 03/12/2006 21:07

What equipment would I need?
Dyestuff
Mordant
Big pot (is a stockpot big enough to do a hank of wool?)

er, wool

anything else? And have you had any good results?

OP posts:

redclover79 · 06/12/2006 21:50

I haven't tried but I recently picked up a book by Jekka McVicar (I think...let me go and check! yep, that's right) called jekkas complete herb book and it has quite a detailed section on what herbs are used to make what coloured dyes. Maybe you could find it in the library?
I've never tried it myself, it's on my to do list, but I'd be interested in finding out how you got on! Good luck!

HowTheFillyjonkStoleChristmas · 16/12/2006 08:17

have done with beetroot and onion skins

also indigo

is not massively colourfast tbh but fades nicely

nowadays I use food colouring as, imo (ah shoot me now), safer with small kids

Pruni · 16/12/2006 08:22

Message withdrawn

HowTheFillyjonkStoleChristmas · 16/12/2006 20:39

nah, went to london to live it up (there is a rather plesent texile museum there , then tried to give up mn for a couple of hours but failed. as you see.

beetroot-washed out pink
onion skins-um. depends on onion. washed out yellow really.

is there a neals yard in edinburgh? I know my steinery friends get their herbs from there for dying, could ask more if you want (might be after xmas though as they have all gone a gnome-lovin' . no offence to gnomes) .

can I not persuade you to use food dyes? seriously, i think they are safer. the mordant for plant dyes is nasty stuff imo. I didn't want it in the house with kids, tbh. on crafster someone was talking of how their girlfriend accidentally produced mustatd gas through using plant dyes. food dyes bind to the protein strands in the wool and so there is none hanging around after IYSWIM.

littlerach · 16/12/2006 21:08

I'm sure I read about using Kool Aid to dye with.

Pruni · 16/12/2006 23:16

Message withdrawn

redclover79 · 16/12/2006 23:24

Don't you use urine to shrink wool and make it into felt??! Or did I imaginethat?!

HowTheFillyjonkStoleChristmas · 17/12/2006 07:18

I don't use urine, redclover. I use washing powder.

The urine would probably just make the dye more acidic and hence fast. although having said that I don't think its very acidic anyway. go for vinegar.

pruni-I shall ask my hippy friends, they are always getting up to such shenanigans. That sounds like a marvellous project, btw. Am .

I have done a bit of spinning but never got massively into it, tbh. If you want to try it out cheaply, do you know about drop spindles?

how come you don't want to use texere btw? out of nosiness?

Flip