Natural Dyes

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Knitting and other yarn carfts - Yarn making & use: spin, dye, knit, weave etc.

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Subject

Author

Date

Natural Dyes

lewmew

03-20-2008

Karlisa

Erin

lewmew

Richard Eney

Leah

Richard Eney

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Posted by lewmew on March 20, 2008, 9:20 pm

The people over at RCTN sent me over here . . . . said you guys know
more about dying stuff?

.

My Girl Scout troop has expressed an interest in using natural dyes
(like berries, onion skins, etc.). We've been doing a Renaissance
badge and talking about clothing/status shown by clothing etc. and
this came up. I told them I had dyed with
onion skins and other things when I was a GS and they all perked up.
We've been sort of in the doldrums so I need something different but
fun - and this seems to fit the bill.

As I said, I did this when I was a GS, years ago. If .anyone has done
it
recently and has hints, I would appreciate it. Like - what did you
dye
(I was thinking maybe bandanas)? What did you use? What fixative?

TIA!

Linda

Posted by Karlisa on March 21, 2008, 7:58 am

> The people over at RCTN sent me over here . . . . said you guys know

> more about dying stuff?

> .

> My Girl Scout troop has expressed an interest in using natural dyes

> (like berries, onion skins, etc.). We've been doing a Renaissance

> badge and talking about clothing/status shown by clothing etc. and

> this came up. I told them I had dyed with

> onion skins and other things when I was a GS and they all perked up.

> We've been sort of in the doldrums so I need something different but

> fun - and this seems to fit the bill.

> As I said, I did this when I was a GS, years ago. If .anyone has done

> it

> recently and has hints, I would appreciate it. Like - what did you

> dye

> (I was thinking maybe bandanas)? What did you use? What fixative?

> TIA!

> Linda

Linda, my own experience with dyeing with natural dyes is limited to yarn.
For fabric dyeing, I've used commercial dye stuffs. I honestly don't know
how well a cotton bandana would dye. I dye only wool with natural dyes or
Koolaid, and I've used white vinegar to set the colors. I do know that you
can tech cotton fabrics with regular old solutions of tea or coffee. It
gives the fabric an antique effect.

I do know that there are some great books out there on natural dyes and
dyeing. I'd check out your local public library for some ideas. Sorry I
couldn't be more helpful. Good luck!

lisa

Posted by Erin on March 21, 2008, 12:00 pm

> As I said, I did this when I was a GS, years ago. =A0If .anyone has done

> it

> recently and has hints, I would appreciate it. Like - what did you

> dye

> (I was thinking maybe bandanas)? What did you use? What fixative?

Maybe you could give us a bit more info? Such as what age range is
your troop, what facilities are available for them to use (dyeing can
be messy!!!), how many hours a week/month do they meet?

Erin

Posted by lewmew on March 21, 2008, 5:14 pm

> =A0>

> > As I said, I did this when I was a GS, years ago. =A0If .anyone has done=

> > it

> > recently and has hints, I would appreciate it. Like - what did you

> > dye

> > (I was thinking maybe bandanas)? What did you use? What fixative?

> Maybe you could give us a bit more info? Such as what age range is

> your troop, what facilities are available for them to use (dyeing can

> be messy!!!), how many hours a week/month do they meet?

> Erin

We meet every Monday from 6 to 7:30. My girls are a bit older - 11 to
13 mostly. If we can't do this in one meeting, we could do it in a
special meeting or on a campout.

Posted by Richard Eney on March 23, 2008, 11:43 pm

>> > As I said, I did this when I was a GS, years ago. If anyone has done

>> > it recently and has hints, I would appreciate it. Like - what did you

>> > dye (I was thinking maybe bandanas)? What did you use? What fixative?

>> Maybe you could give us a bit more info? Such as what age range is

>> your troop, what facilities are available for them to use (dyeing can

>> be messy!!!), how many hours a week/month do they meet?

>We meet every Monday from 6 to 7:30. My girls are a bit older - 11 to

>13 mostly. If we can't do this in one meeting, we could do it in a

>special meeting or on a campout.

From what I've read on websites and blogs, a campout would be the
best bet. Most natural dyeing should be done outdoors. Powdered
dyes and mordants are things you don't want to breathe even if they're
not actually toxic. The more cautious people say to wear those
dust-protection masks while doing the measuring and mixing. Also,
most materials need to be either soaked overnight or boiled and
cooled - it's not a quick procedure.

You can do Kool-aid dyeing by extending your time-frame just an
hour or so, but that's not natural dyeing, of course.

Bandanas are cotton and cotton isn't all that easy to dye.
At the very least you would have to prepare them by "scouring"
(washing) them in advance. It might be better to buy undyed
natural fabric and scour it - then you cut it to size for
bigger bandanas or long sashes.

It might be better to try getting some natural undyed white
wool yarn and then have a knitting or crocheting lesson with it.

The best website I came across (I may have missed a great one)
was at www.maiwa.com which is a handpaints company; they had a
pdf to print out that had a lot of good solid information on
natural dyeing.

Whatever you choose to do, I think I would recommend that
you try it by yourself before you do it with the troop, just
to be sure of the procedures and test for results and how
long it will take.

Good luck!

=Tamar

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