All Blog Posts — Natural Dyeing

NATURAL DYEING WITH BLACK WALNUTS  (Juglans nigra)     The Black Walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is a large, broadleaf tree that can grow to 30 or 40 metres in height.  A native of North America it was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, and in Britain is most likely to be found in the warmer conditions of the south.  Its name refers to the dark outer bark and the Black Walnut tree is a valuable source of hardwood for furniture and flooring. I came across this very beautiful Black Walnut tree in a vicarage garden not far from my home...

Having threatened for several months to write a blog on what I’ve been up to in the garden, I thought I ought to follow through! I get so much joy from spending time in my garden and i'm keen to see how much I can grow in the space that I have. I'd also like to share my progress and show you what is possible with limited space so that you too can reap the benefits of growing your own dye plants. A couple of years ago I claimed a sunny little patch of the garden that backs onto my...

 INTRODUCTION Although the natural world envelopes us in green there is, surprisingly, no single natural plant dye that can give a bold, bright green.  There are plenty of plants that yield up yellow dyes, such as dandelion, golden rod, dyer’s chamomile and others which, with a little iron modifier, will give subtle shades of sage, olive and mossy greens.  But to achieve a strident green that would make Robin Hood proud you need to start with blue and overdye with yellow. For those who don't know, Robin Hood is the legendary outlaw of English folklore who famously stole from the...

 INTRODUCTION                                    The success of your natural dyeing project will depend on how well the fibres are prepared.  To get rewarding and even dye results it’s necessary for fibres to be clean and free of any impurities, such as the sizings used in the manufacturing process.  This cleaning is known as ‘scouring’, which sounds a little drastic but really just means washing thoroughly. NB: you can only dye 100% natural fibres with natural dyes. Synthetic and mixed fibres will not respond well to natural...

Learn how to naturally dye with madder using the alkaline extraction method. Following on from my blog ‘Make the Most of Your Madder – Part 1’ (February 2023) I wanted to try the alkaline method of extracting madder dye, as explained in Jenny Dean’s book ‘Colours From Nature’.  For me Jenny Dean is the Delia Smith of natural dying; easy to follow and reliable with delicious results!