Summer's botanical dyes
The magic of imprinting summer’s botanical colors onto fabric. Plus, a fun workshop announcement!
Blessed Lughnasadh, friends!
It’s peak summer now, peak harvest season and peak heat, and peak rest at peak hours… I’m committed to finding joy and creativity in the Anthropocene, especially during summertime, when dry earth cracks and other-than-human creatures lay low and nights are uneasy.
Summer is anxiety-filled, but I’ve written about this season and its feelings many times before. And yet — brambles keep on flowering and fruiting, and roots keep on stretching underground, and even frogs keep on singing at night under the full moon (did you see yesterday’s full moon?). And so I remain hopeful, moving forward and sowing seeds for winter crops, as the wheel keeps turning, never slowing down or halting mid-way.
Summer’s fruits and flowers whisper to my heart, a non-verbal, silent language that sings of beauty and cycles. It is no wonder, then, that these plant parts often make it to my projects and rituals. Care to come along and celebrate summer’s joyful ripeness with me? We’ll be imprinting summer’s colors onto fabric, creating long-lasting physical memories of the beauty and wonder that are always present, if only we notice.
That’s a sweet little harvest of blackberries and marigolds! Let’s take these botanicals into the kitchen and extract some colors from them.
The following natural dyeing steps are adapted from my own book, The Wild Craft. Yes, I still refer to my own book whenever I’m dyeing, as the instructions are that good!
Summer’s botanical dyes
you will need:
fresh dye material of choice, approximately the same weight as your dry fabric. In this project, I’m using blackberries and marigolds (Tagetes spp.) in varying proportions. Play around with quantities!
100% natural, cellulose-based fabric, such as cotton, linen, or bamboo. Use one piece of fabric per color. I’m using 100% cotton. Once you select the fabric, weigh it while dry and write down the number, as you will be referring to that weight throughout the process.
one large non-reactive pot for scouring and mordanting, used exclusively for this purpose
one large non-reactive pot for creating the dye bath and dyeing, used exclusively for this purpose. Use one pot per dye bath.
wooden spoon, used exclusively for dyeing
soda crystals (washing soda)
gentle laundry detergent
aluminum acetate (alum) powder
mask, goggles, and gloves
Note: always work in a well-ventilated area.
prepare the dye baths
Make one dye bath per plant. So, one for blackberries, and another one for marigolds.
Place your dye material in one of the saucepans. Add water (about two parts of water to one part plant material) and bring close to a boil, then allow to simmer for one hour (20 minutes are enough if using blackberries), covered. The color will become stronger the long it simmers. Cooking the plant material may change its color, so keep an eye on the stove to avoid boiling.
Remove from heat. You can either strain the solid material or leave it in the water until it cools down, for a deeper hue. Reserve the dye bath.
scour the fabric
When dyeing, it’s important to thoroughly clean the fabric you will be using, to offer the dyes good coverage. This process is called scouring, and is especially important when using new fabrics that haven’t been washed before, such as those newly bought from the fabric shop, as there might be residual plant resins or waxes on it.
Use 2 tablespoons of soda crystals (washing soda) per 400 ml (a generous 1/2 cup) of water. Use enough water to allow the fabric to be fully submerged.
In the second pot, dissolve the soda crystals in a small quantity of water, then add the remaining water. Mix in about 3 tablespoons of gentle laundry detergent.
Submerge the fabric, filling the pot with more water if needed.
Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, allow to cool down, and then rinse the fabric well. Leave it aside, ready to move on to the next step.
mordant the fabric
A mordant is a naturally-occurring, water-soluble metallic salt that binds together the fabric and the dye, improving colorfastness. Without a mordant, your natural dyes would soon fade under the sun and washing cycles.
Use 3 teaspoons of aluminum acetate per 100 g (4 oz) of dry fabric. With your safety gear on, dissolve the required quantity of alum in 250 ml (1 cup) of boiling water.
Warm some water in the pot (enough to cover the fabric), then mix in the previously dissolved alum water and stir well.
Add the fabric and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Rinse the fabric and either leave to dry, for future use, or keep it wet and ready to move on to the next step — the dyeing fun is about to begin!
dye the fabric
Place the pre-treated, wet fabric in the saucepan(s) containing your strained dye bath(s).
Bring to a gentle boil and leave to simmer for about one hour, stirring regularly to ensure proper coverage and release any air bubbles.
Turn off the heat and allow for the fabric to soak in the dye bath overnight, as color will continue to develop.
The next morning, remove the fabric and rinse well, to remove any extra dye. Discard the dye bath (or save it to use again, soon!)
Air dry fabric in the shade.
Here are some tips on caring for your naturally dyed fabrics:
Wash cold (30ºC / 86ºF max), using gentle laundry detergent.
Only wash your fabrics when needed.
Dry your fabrics in the shade, as excessive sunlight might fade colors.
Keep in mind that colors are alive, and that’s magical! Your colors might change and evolve over time, and that’s part of the beauty. Embrace the change, or follow your heart’s desire and dye it again!
Natural dyes are such a fascinating world! There is always something new to discover, new shades to play with, new plants to create botanicals rainbows from, and new fabrics to try. It’s also a beautiful practice of connection to our bioregion when using locally available colors. The possibilities are endless!
Have I sparked your curiosity? I have something fun to share that I have been keeping quiet about 🤫
As many of you know, I’m lucky-honored-humbled to be part of the team at the Herbal Academy. Over the last few months, there was a special project keeping me busy (and my head buzzing with new ideas, too!), which was the creation of a special summer workshop all about natural dyes. It was such a fun experience to be supporting a workshop development from behind the scenes, coordinating a wonderful group of natural dyes experts and instructors, as well as our talented team, to make this workshop flourish. it dives into the history and chemistry of natural dyes, and includes a variety of creative projects — from covering the basis of cellulose and protein-based fabric dyeing to stunning projects such as bundle dye, tie dye, making botanical watercolors, wood dyeing, cosmetics, and more! Am I getting a bit teary-eyed here? Mmm I might be! I’ll let you see more of this seasonal offering for yourself!
Here’s to learning new crafts, even if mastering none (!), and to joy and creativity 🍃