botanical colour resource

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mordant - the term mordant comes from the Latin mordere, "to bite". In the past, it was thought that a mordant helped the dye bite onto the fibre so that it would hold fast during washing. in reality, it is a mineral salt that adheres to the fabric which then allows the natural dyes to bind with it - in essence it functions like a bridge, a way to facilitate the chemical bonding of colour to the fibres. mordants are hugely important to ensure long-lasting and effective colour. by using different mordants, dyers can often obtain a variety of colors and shades from the same dye.

natural fibres - natural fibres are created from renewable sources such a plants (cellulose fibres e.g: cotton, linen, hemp) and animals (protein fibres e.g: wool and silk). these materials, (especially protein fibres) will accept natural dyes and can be returned to the earth at the end of their life.

scour - giving your fabrics a deep clean, or a ‘scour’ enables you to have a blank canvas ready to receive dye. many fabrics, especially cottons and linens carry a build-up of natural pectins and waxes, as well as dirt from processing and transportation. Scouring ensures that your fabric dyes evenly and the dye adheres more effectively to the fabric. this process is conducted different depending on the type of fibre.

synthetic fibres -  synthetic fibres, such as polyester, acrylic, spandex and nylon (which are made of plastic) will not receive natural dyes well. their production uses convoluted chemical processes that use fossil fuels, pollute local ecosystems and contribute to climate change, as well as adding microplastics to our water each time they are laundered. 

tannins - tannins are naturally occurring in plants and have the ability to stabilize metals like alum and iron inside fibres - they are particularly helpful in assisting in the process of mordanting cellulose fibres. there are many different types of plant-based tannins and the ones you decide to use, will affect the final colour of your fabric. there is 

an abundance of tannin options available locally in the form of barks, cones, seed pods, nuts and galls – i recommend familiarising yourself with some local options which are abundantly available.

washfastness + lightfastness -  washfastness refers to the durability of your dyed item to be washed over and over and lightfastness refers to its level of fading due to UV exposure over time. 

WOF (weight of fibre) -  this refers to the dry weight of your fabric in a percentage relation to what you are mordanting/dyeing with. 

For example:

weight of fibre x% = weight of dyestuff (dry) 

e.g -5% WOF for 50g of fabric  500 x 0.05 = 25g 

get into the habit of weighing your dry fabric before scouring. it means you don’t need to let it dry fully after scouring in order to work out your mordant calculations, which can save a lot of time. 

creating your dye

the amount of dyestuff to WOF (weight of fibre) ratio will differ depending on what fabric you are using (protein fibres such as silk will receive dye much more diligently than cellulose fibres) and the dyestuffs. Using extracts for example will obviously be much more potent than using whole plant fibres - I recommend doing a bit of research prior to dyeing to get the desired results. 

- i suggest cutting up your plant material for better extraction of colour. add these to a suitably large pot (big enough for your fabric to flow freely) and slowly increase the heat. 

- the temperature of your dye bath depends on what dyestuff you are using. a gentle simmer I usually find most effective, but I would recommend doing your own research to aid the effectiveness of your results. I aim to heat for 1 -2 hours, (dyestuff dependent) then usually like to leave in the pot to saturate further overnight (although not necessary). 

- let cool your dye bath cool, strain out the plant material and add it to your compost. 

dyeing your fabric

- add your pre-mordanted, wetted fibre to your dye bath (wetting the fibre in water for an hour or so prior to dyeing can help greatly with the saturation and evenness of your dye) and slowly bring the bath to a low simmer. 

- stir the fibre frequently to ensure an evenness of dye saturation (if you don’t stir regularly, especially within the first 20 minutes when most dye is taken up the fabric you may be left with patchiness). 

- when you are happy with the colour, let the bath cool and remove the fibre from the dye, gently wringing out any excess 

- liquid. In some cases, you can leave your fabric in the pot for an extra couple of hours or overnight to deepen the shade. 

- rinse your fibre and hang to dry out of direct sunlight. if you wish, once your fabric is dry, you can allow the fabric to ‘cure’ further before washing (some say this helps with colour retention). you can do this for up to a couple of weeks if you wish. 

- wash gently with a pH-neutral soap and hang to dry away from direct sunlight.