I started experimenting with natural dyes several years ago because I wanted to dye my own yarns for knitting and weaving. I quickly learnt that natural dyes could come from plants, insects, tree bark, mushrooms, and even snails!
The first synthetic dye was only invented in 1856, while natural dyes date back to the Neolithic period and can be found in every landscape on earth. You will never find yourself in an environment that doesnβt have a rich history of natural dyes. Isnβt that cool? And you can grow many of these natural dyes right here in Canada in your own garden.Β
Which Plants should I grow?
You could grow hundreds of different natural dye plants in your garden (and believe me, if I had more space, I would) but as most of us donβt have acres of land for natural dye plants, we need to narrow it down. One way to do this is by colour. Zinnias, marigolds, weld, and Mexican tarragon all produce lovely shades of yellow. Madder and Hopi red dye amaranth will give you amazing reds and oranges. For blues, I suggest growing woad, indigo, stinging nettles, or black hollyhock. If your favourite colour is green, like mine, you can dye your fabric yellow with any of the plants listed above and then overdye it with indigo leaves.
Are you a balcony or container gardener? Lots of these plants do great in pots, like marigolds and indigo. Do you live in a basement apartment? No worries! You can forage for natural dyes too, especially among plants we often consider weeds, like horsetail, Scotch broom, and mullein.
Help! How do I turn my plants into a natural dye?
There are three steps to natural dyeing:
- Scour your fabric, which means cleaning it well with soap.
- Mordent your fabric, which allows the natural dye to penetrate or hold onto the fabric better (the exception to this rule is indigo, which requires no mordent). Some mordents include tree bark, avocado pits, and alum salt.
- Prepare your dye bath. This often involves soaking your plant material overnight and then gently simmering it the following day, before adding in your fabric. Each plant is slightly different, so I recommend getting some books from your local library or reading blogs to learn what works best with each plant.
Remember to use natural fibresβwool, cotton, linen, and silk are all great choices (natural dye wonβt work on polyester or other plastic-based fabrics). I also suggest keeping a journal with your results so that next year you have a better idea of which plants you liked best.