Natural dyeing Wool

(given by Lynn Voortman - Blue Castle Fiber Arts)

All-natural Dye Plants
Below are many of the all-natural dye flowers of historic use within the dietary fiber arts. Most these plants are not important as dyes, and may probably not today be collected in sufficient amounts. Some but are very important, including woad, weld, heather, walnut, alder, pine many lichens. If you want to try dyeing a nearby plant, try to find it on an inventory similar to this someone to prevent frustration. Not all the flowers, irrespective of their beauty, make great dye material. Be aware that some plants, like some lichens tend to be eco protected.

The yellow dyes are most abundant and many of those are great fast colors. Madder could be the only dependable red dye among plants. All of the dye plants need a preparation associated with material to-be colored, with alum, or other mordant, but a few, such as Barbary plus some of lichens, tend to be substantive dyes, and require no mordant.

FLOWERS WHICH DYE RED


Birch (Betula alba) Fresh internal bark


Bed-straw (Gallium boreale) Roots


Brazilwoods - different leguminous tree bark
Cochineal - (Coccus Cacti) Pest
Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) Roots


Dyer's Woodruff (Asperula tinctoria) Roots


Evergreen Alkanet (Anchusa sempervirens)


Gromwell (Lithospermum arvense)


Lady's Bedstraw (Gallium verum) Roots


Marsh Potentil (Potentilla Comarum) Roots


Madder (Rubia Tinctorum) Roots


Potentil (Potentilla Tormentilla) Roots

ALL-NATURAL DYE FLOWERS FOR AZURE


devil's-bit (Scabiosa succisa) Leaves prepared like woad


Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis)


Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries


Indigo (Indigofera tintoria)


Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) Berries with alum and sodium


Red bearberry (Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi)


Sloe (Prunus communis) Fresh Fruit


Whortleberry or Blaeberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus) Berries


Woad (Isatis tinctoria)

Yellow Iris (Iris Pseudacorus) Roots

PLANTS THAT DYE YELLOW


Agrimony (Agrimonia Eupatoria)


Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) Fresh internal bark


Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) Stem and root


Birch. Leaves

Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum)


Bog Myrtle or Sweet-gale (Myrica Gale)


Bracken (Pteris aquilina) Roots, also younger tops


Bramble (Rubus fructicosus)


Broom (Sarothammus Scoparius)


Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula and R. cathartica) Berries and Bark


Common dock (Rumex obtusifolius) Root


Crab Apple (Pyrus Malus) Fresh inner bark


Dyer's Greenwood (Genista tinctoria) Young shoots and leaves


Gorse (Ulex Europæus) Bark, flowers and young propels


Heath (Erica vulgaris) With Alum


Hedge stachys (Stachys palustris)


Jump (Humulus lupulus)


Hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus) Bark


Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis Vulnararia)


Ling (Caluna vulgaris)


Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)


Marsh potentil (Potentilla Comarum)


Meadow Rue (Thalictrum flavum)


Nettle (Urtica) With Alum


Pear, Leaves


Plum


Polygonum Hydropiper


Polygonum Persecaria


Poplar, Leaves


Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) Leaves


St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)


Sawwort (Serratula tinctoria)


Spindle tree (Euonymus Europæus)


Stinking Willy, or Ragweed (Senecio Jacobæa)


Sundew (Drosera)


Teasel (Dipsacus Sylvestris)


Way-faring tree (Viburnum lantana) Leaves


Weld (Reseda luteola)


Willow, Leaves


Yellow Camomile (Anthemis tinctoria)


Yellow Centaury (Chlora perfoliata)


Yellowish Corydal (Corydalis lutea)

NATURAL DYE FLOWERS FOR GREEN
Elder (Sambucus nigra) Leaves with alum
Flowering reed (Phragmites communis) Flowering tops, with metal
Larch. Bark, with alum
Lily-of-the-valley (Convalaria majalis) Leaves
Nettle (Urtica dioica and U. Urens)
Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) Berries and leaves, with alum

FLOWERS THAT DYE BROWN
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) Bark
Birch (Betula alba) Bark
Hop (Humulus lupulus) Stalks give a brownish red colour
Onion, Skins
Larch, Pine needles, collected in Autumn
Oak (Quercus Robur) Bark
Red currants, with alum
Walnut, Root and green husks of fan
Water-lily (Nymphæa alba) Root
Whortleberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus) younger propels, with fan galls
Dulse (Seaweed)
Lichens

NATURAL DYE PLANTS FOR PURPLE
Byrony (Byronia dioica) Berries
Damson, Fruit, with alum
Dandelion (Taraxacum Dens-leonis) Roots
Danewort (Sambucus Ebulus) Berries
Lethal nightshade (Atropa Belladonna)
Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries, with alum, a violet; with alum and salt, a lilac colour
Sundew (Drosera)
Whortleberry or blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) it has a blue or purple dye that will dye wool and silk without mordant

ALL-NATURAL DYE FLOWERS FOR BLACK
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) Bark, with metal
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) Young propels, with salts of metal
Dock (Rumex) Root
Elder (Sambucus nigra) Bark, with iron
Iris (Iris Pseudacorus) Root
Meadowsweet (Spirea Ulmaria)
Oak, Bark and acorns

Mordants
Mordants combined with Natural Dyes
(supplied by Lynn Voortman - Blue Castle Fiber Arts)
Here is a list of mineral mordants widely used these days with natural dyes.

During the early times the leaves and origins of certain flowers were used. This is actually the instance nevertheless in Asia as well as other locations where conventional dyeing methods are continued.

Alum was known for hundreds of years in European countries. Alum and iron would be the most green regarding the mineral mordants while chrome, tin and copper are believed much more poisonous. Some additional chemical compounds used in combination with all-natural dyes, like cream of tartar, acetic acid and vinegar along with the plant based mordants and tannic acid are safe to utilize.

There are 2 procedures focused on the dyeing of most colours; the very first is mordanting therefore the second could be the colouring or real dyeing. The mordanting makes the stuff for the dye (mordere, to bite).

Any all-natural dye belongs to a single of two courses. Substantive, offering color directly to the material: and adjective, which includes the greater number of dyes and requires the usage a mordant to create from colour. All adjective dyes require this planning of fibre before they are going to fix by themselves onto it. The usage a mordant, though not absolutely essential, may also be a plus when making use of substantive dyes.