Natural dyes – kitchen and yard

If you have ever dripped spaghetti from a steaming plate of pasta onto your white shirt, you know the power of colour in your every day foods and they staying power of a ‘stain’. My favourite dyes are those that require a loose science and a whole lot of art. My dye kit includes vinegar, cream of tartar from my pantry, along with some nails and copper pipe bits from my garage shelf. These are for my mordant preparations, where as my dye materials are in paper bags in my pantry: onion skins, avocado pits and peels, and a jar of turmeric. From my yard and neighbourhood I have been able to glean a

Onion skin dye bath

number of common plants and lichen to use in my dye pots: including oak, apple, lichen, horse tail, bracken, ivy – just for a start. Below are some links to some other very helpful  videos and blogs about natural dyes and preparations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed dye pot with bracken

soup is on 😀 low simmer for an hour and sit over night

Some great sites to turn to for ‘how-to’ and dye back-stories do see here:

Lichen and Mushroom dyes:

Mushroom dyes and procedure: https://namyco.org/fiber_dye_mushrooms.php

Fungi Magazine 2014 : https://www.fungimag.com/summer-2014-articles/LR2%20V7I2%2066-69%20Dies.pdf 

Cornell Mushroom Blog: https://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2006/12/12/dyeing-with-lichens-mushrooms/ 

Instructabe : https://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Lichen-Dyes-Letharia-vulpina-or-Wolf-Lich/ 

Kitchen Dyes:

Kitchen waste – //bagsofethics.org/4-natural-dyes-from-kitchen-waste/

Fruit, Veg and spices: https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Homemade-Natural-Dyes-31861660

Here is Onion and Cabbage:

General natural dyes:

Best resource is likely here:  http://www.box19.ca/maiwa/pdf/Guide_To_Natural_Dyes.pdf

https://www.diynatural.com/natural-fabric-dyes/

https://botanicalcolors.com/how-to/

Maiwa: http://maiwahandprints.blogspot.com/p/guide-to-natural-dyes.html and see here on their site for context and some history of dyes: http://maiwahandprints.blogspot.com/2013/01/natural-dyes-our-approach.html

Plants from Garden and Park

Walnut: https://botanicalcolors.com/2014/04/11/dyeing-for-dummies-the-mysteries-of-walnut-hull-powder/

Science teaching and dyeing (not all natural) –  lesson and chemistry explanations: https://www.flinnsci.com/api/library/Download/c46ad9cfbff64e9cae7caf3aed645692