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Does anyone have a dye garden?

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  • Does anyone have a dye garden?

    I went to a dyeing workshop at the weekend and discovered how easy it can be to get funky effects using different techniques. The dyes we used were all commercial preparations but I know you can get great results with plant dyes too. I've found a bit of info via Googling and have ordered some books from the library but I'd love to know if anyone here grows plants for dyeing and if you do, what they are and what sort of results you've had.

    I'm hoping to have my own dye garden next year
    I was feeling part of the scenery
    I walked right out of the machinery
    My heart going boom boom boom
    "Hey" he said "Grab your things
    I've come to take you home."

  • #2
    Facinating stuff Seahorse! I'll watch this thread with interest!
    My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
    to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

    Diversify & prosper


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    • #3
      I did a degree in Textiles, and specialised in natural dyes. Onion skins were easy, but smelt like onion soup while 'doing'. Pomegranate is a great dye, as it contains its own fixative, so you don't have to add that separately.
      All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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      • #4
        I have alkanet growing on my plot and a friend told me that the roots make a nice red dye. What kind of fixative would it need to make it set? I have dyed cloth with turmeric for a festival and it looked fab. Have not tried to wash it though.

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        • #5
          Alkanet makes a purple/blue dye, not red? Colour depends on the dye stuff, the fabric, and the mordant used, as well as temperature and time. It's chemistry, botany and alchemy: totally unpredictable, and results are usually un-repeatable.
          Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) is the true alkanet, and its roots produce a purple dye used in textiles and soap. False Alkanet (Anchusa officinalis) is also known as Common Bugloss, Common Anchusa or Dyers' Bugloss.
          As to fixative/mordant, that depends on the fabric you are dyeing. Anchusa officinalis root + acetic acid as a mordant produces a soft pink-brown dye.
          this is a good little site: Natural dyes from dye plants - Wild Colours by Teresinha Roberts
          All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by grass routes View Post
            I have dyed cloth with turmeric for a festival and it looked fab. Have not tried to wash it though.
            If you don't "fix" your dye, it will just wash out. Alum will fix your turmeric dye.
            All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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            • #7
              Weld, woad, nettles, onion skins.

              I am in the process of turning the front garden (poncy and inedible) into a scented/herbal/dye garden. Got many of my seeds from Nicky's.
              http://www.freewebs.com/notesfromtheplot/ **updated**

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post
                Alkanet makes a purple/blue dye, not red? Colour depends on the dye stuff, the fabric, and the mordant used, as well as temperature and time. It's chemistry, botany and alchemy: totally unpredictable, and results are usually un-repeatable.
                Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) is the true alkanet, and its roots produce a purple dye used in textiles and soap. False Alkanet (Anchusa officinalis) is also known as Common Bugloss, Common Anchusa or Dyers' Bugloss.
                As to fixative/mordant, that depends on the fabric you are dyeing. Anchusa officinalis root + acetic acid as a mordant produces a soft pink-brown dye.
                this is a good little site: Natural dyes from dye plants - Wild Colours by Teresinha Roberts
                Like the sound of the Alchemy TS!
                My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
                to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

                Diversify & prosper


                Comment


                • #9
                  I'm just in the process of setting up a huge herb garden, much of which will be used for dying herbs. It's not something I've ever done before, but I've just started learning to spin and it seems a shame to put in all that effort then dye the wool with horrible synthetic stuff. I have two books, 'A Dyer's Garden' and 'A Weaver's Garden', both by Rita Bucanan. They were a Christmas present from a friend, but I believe she bought them off Amazon. The books have been helpful, but they're American so what's available here as wild often has to be cultivated there and vice versa, but they give you good ideas about the colours that can be obtained using various mordants (one even has a little colour chart thing on each page). I also had this idea that I was only going to use native plants, but I'm not sure about that now. Either way it's all academic as the only colours I'll need for the foreseeable future are browns and blues to match most of my home - my current spinning efforts being so rough that the resultant wool is only fit for rugs.
                  Into each life some rain must fall........but this is getting ridiculous.

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                  • #10
                    surely beetroot would make a good dye stains everything else its touches

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                    • #11
                      Thanks everyone.

                      bluemoon, I was thinking of buying the books you mention (sadly not available from my library). Good to know your thoughts on them.

                      Two_Sheds, is there a book (or books) that you'd recommend? I prefer to jump in at the deep end with stuff, so I'd prefer an expert kind of thing to a beginners volume
                      I was feeling part of the scenery
                      I walked right out of the machinery
                      My heart going boom boom boom
                      "Hey" he said "Grab your things
                      I've come to take you home."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        This is something which interests me too!

                        My concern is ..how do you make a natural dye colour-fast????

                        I recall something about urine being a fixer or something????

                        Surely there is a modern equivalent???
                        "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

                        Location....Normandy France

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                        • #13
                          Wow, what a great concept! I know you can get lots of dye plants and other very useful plants from Plants with Purpose, have you had a look at their website?

                          Dwell simply ~ love richly

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Nicos View Post
                            This is something which interests me too!

                            My concern is ..how do you make a natural dye colour-fast????

                            I recall something about urine being a fixer or something????

                            Surely there is a modern equivalent???
                            Alum is used mostly. if you google dyeing supplies there should be somewhere that can help.
                            http://www.freewebs.com/notesfromtheplot/ **updated**

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Seahorse View Post
                              Two_Sheds, is there a book (or books) that you'd recommend?
                              I used this one at college. £3.35 on amazon:Amazon.co.uk: The Craft of Natural Dyeing: Jenny Dean: Books
                              All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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