dyeing instructions

not to be confused with dying instructions. this is the painless easy solar dyeing method i am using. it does seem to work better with plants that "give up their dye easily". Marigolds, for example, seem to take cooking to produce the really dark yellow that you can get. anyway...

take the dye plant (i recommend "a dyer's garden" if you need some suggestions of dye plants) cram a bunch of it in a quart canning jar. depending on the item (if it is small and packable about 1/2 full will do, otherwise 2/3 full is good). Pour boiling water over the top and fill the jar. Put the lid on. ( if you have a lot of dye stuffs a gallon pickle jar will work too). Put it somewhere that gets hot in the sun. (i use my back porch which is painted dark brown and the sun makes the floor too hot to walk on) Let it steep for several days. ( check the dye plants regularly--when they are looking faded and limp they're done). strain off the dye plants and discard unless you are using tree parts, which can be dried and reused as can a few flowers.

add premordanted fiber to your "dye jar". Premordant with alum and cream of tartar. use about equal parts in water and simmer for an hour. 4 tablespoons of each will mordant 4 ounces of wool or silk. rinse after mordanting and dye immediately or dry for later use. Now add to the dye pot. let it sit in the sun for several days. check it's progress often. (i check about once a day). when it reaches a color you like take it out and rinse it. You can probably continue to dye in the same jar at least once more so save the dye. ( i check by pouring the jar out into a sieve that is in a bowl, then i can either put the fiber back for more dyeing or rinse and replace the dye into the jar)

let me know how you do...
rita n/

dying to dye

hey...
i went to a cool sca event this weekend and attended a natural dyeing class...it was awesome. did some weld and marigold(overdyed with indigo) and indigo. the wool is beautiful...then, coolest of all...the teacher handed out the wool with the instructions that we show her what WE did with it! It is fun to see someone else doing it and see how they are doing and I got free wool that i didn't have to dye myself. I finished carding up the overdyed stuff...beautiful green! i'll post pics of it all soon...plus the results of woodbine and apple twig dyeing!

tomorrow!
rita n/

One more shot of "colors to dye for' *SILK YARN BOUQET* 

"COLORS TO DYE FOR" *YARN BOUQUET* 

"colors to dye for" *YARN BOUQUET* 

newest silk yarn bouquet...natural dyes all around! 

dyeing on rita's back porch. Natural dyeing is absolutely exciting and fun. You never know for sure what will happen...the dye may look purple and produce blue or look red and produce brown... 

woodbine/virginia creeper dye. I decided on a whim to throw some of the berries in hot water and then when i added silk mordanted with alum this is what happened. It was sort of maroon but after i added the silk (probably pH change from the alum) it turned this interesting blue-purple. Can't wait to see what color it dyes! 

dk red and black hollyhock dye...this has already dyed some silk and i'm dyeing more. 

black-eyed susan dye--this dyes green! cool! 

black hollyhock dye with silk dyeing 

rhubarb roots for dyeing 

apple twigs for dyeing! 

silk dyed with hollyhocks: (R)black hollyhocks, dk red hollyhocks, dk pink hollyhocks, pink hollyhocks, lt pink hollyhocks, yellow and white hollyhocks (L) 

sunflower all-natural *yarn bouquet* 

the colors are a little off...not quite bright enough but this is my sunflower all-natural *yarn bouquet* isn't it pretty? it comes in a super cute pot!  

a little closer on the blue and green which are without a doubt my favorites...I can't decide whether i'm willing to auction these on eba or not...they are sooooooooooo pretty! 

these colors are all from hollyhock except the green which is black-eyed susans. I can't believe this beautiful blue came from black hollyhocks...wow! 

more natural dyeing with hollyhocks and osage orange...on silk! 

silk yarn dyed with hollyhocks (R) and osage orange (L 3).