If you’ve ever wanted to know how to dye fabric using plants, this is the post for you.
Because of how often I use and dye wool, I’m always fascinated by how other people dye their fabric. I knew people used plants, but after doing a little research to try it on my own, I was shocked to see how many different types of plants can be used to basically get every color of the rainbow and beyond.
Being an avid gardener, I started making a list of all the plants I was already growing that I could use to dye things. I did a little more exploration and came up with all sorts of plants to produce all sorts of colors. Dying fabric from plant dyes is going to be a fun project for me.
Here are some plants you can use to make these colors:
Red: Lichen, eucalyptus, St. John’s Wort, chokecherries, beets, bloodroot, pomegranate, crab apple, juniper, rose petals, blackberries
Orange: Paprika, carrots, butternut seeds, dahlias, chicory, sunflower, turmeric
Yellow: Marigold, yarrow leaves, horseradish, saffron, sage, turmeric, alfalfa, bay leaves, celery leaves, dead daffodil heads, dahlias, dandelions, elderberry
Green: Artichokes, nettle leaves, red onion, spinach, sage, peppermint, Queen Anne’s Lace, chamomile, bayberry, foxglove, larkspur, hydrangea, lilac
Blue: Indigo, elderberries, blueberries, dogwood, hyacinth, red cabbage, purple, iris
Purple: Blackberry, blueberry, hibiscus, huckleberry, basil, hollyhock petals
Pink: Rose petals, beets, avocado seeds, cherries, lavender, raspberries, strawberries
Brown: Onion skin, eucalyptus, dandelion roots, alder bark, beet root, fennel, ivy, poplar bark, geranium, hops, pine tree bark
Black: Oregano, black walnut, blackberry, meadow sweet, oak galls, sumac leaves, sunflower
How to Dye Fabric Using Plants
A few quick tips if you are planning on doing this. Make sure the plants/nuts/berries you use as dye are mature, ripe or in full bloom. To make your dye, you typically need 2 parts water to one part plant, etc.
Chop your plant material into small pieces and boil for an hour or two, strain, and then dunk whatever fabric you are dyeing {make sure the fabric is wet}. Simmer in the water dye until the desired color is reached.
You can also let the fabric soak overnight and skip the simmering step {when I dye wool, I like to let darker colors soak overnight to zap all the color out of the water}.
Have you ever used any plants as dye? How did it turn out? Any tips? I’d love to hear them.
Keep Calm and Carry On,
~Mavis
A note from the comment sectio by Judy T.
“To make the dye “take” better, it helps to use a mordant. Tannin is a kind of mordant, so if you are using leaves, or walnuts or acorns, then you don’t need an additional mordant.
Also, many of the blues/reds/purples are not colorfast, this is because the color is from anthocyanins which fade. Also, sometimes the color is considered to be a “stain” not a dye. So, using all these things is fun, but probably not permanent.
I’ve had the best success with marigolds, onion skins and walnuts. I like using pokeberries although it is fugitive and may fade quickly, especially if exposed to sunlight. There are many books out there on natural dyeing….It also depends on if you are dyeing wool (a protein fiber) or cotton ( a plant fiber).”
Judy Terwilliger says
To make the dye “take” better, it helps to use a mordant. Tannin is a kind of mordant, so if you are using leaves, or walnuts or acorns, then you don’t need an additional mordant. Also, many of the blues/reds/purples are not colorfast, this is because the color is from anthocyanins which fade. Also, sometimes the color is considered to be a “stain” not a dye. So, using all these things is fun, but probably not permanent. I’ve had the best success with marigolds, onion skins and walnuts. I like using pokeberries although it is fugitive and may fade quickly, especially if exposed to sunlight. There are many books out there on natural dyeing….It also depends on if you are dyeing wool (a protein fiber) or cotton ( a plant fiber)
Emi says
Hi,
About pokeberries- recent experiments using LOTS of vinegar seem to show the brilliant magenta can be colorfast. I haven’t tried it myself, but I would then pour the exhausted bath on poison ivy as an herbicide.
DonnaT says
Judy Terwilliger, I don’t know when I’ve read a comment that was so interestingly written. Your talent doesn’t only lie in the properties of dye, but your ability to convey your knowledge. What a delight to come across this.
Judy T says
golly, thanks! I teach private music lessons, so I spend a lot of time trying to get my point across…. lol
Deborah says
Thank you for this information. Good things to know.
Rosaleen says
Interesting “stuff.” The only fabric I recall dyeing was muslin to use for costumes. IIRC, I used tea.
Marie says
If choosing to use light cotton fabric to dye, ensure it is “PFD” Prepared for Dyeing.
Ellen C. says
Is there a way to ‘set’ some of the less colorfast dyes?
Linda Sand says
I’ve read that adding vinegar to the water will help “set” color.
Back in the 1970s, when tie-dye was popular, I did tie-bleach. All velvet fabrics bleached to gold so the pillows I made were red/gold, black/gold, dark blue/gold, and green/gold. I bought end pieces of bolts so the pillows were all different shapes but at Christmas I gave each family a set in one color with the number of pillows matching the number of people in that family. I enjoyed doing that.
Amy B says
Super timely post, Mavis! I just bought a spinning wheel and on the way home I was dreaming of all the yarn I’m going to make and the dying of that yarn. Ha ha! Time to get my head out of the sky, though, and settle down to a lot of learning and practice before I have smooth and beautiful results Thanks again for all the neat stuff you post and happy dying.
Maxine says
Natural dyes are not often lightfast, so all the hard work of your creation will fade and some very quickly. Yes you can get a really wide range of mostly yellow, green and browns but blues are very difficult. Look into it more, there are some good books from the 70’s and Rita Buchanan wrote a book about Dye garden I really liked. Cochineal is fascinating and lichens too. Have fun.
Merry says
I used to top dye indigo with a bright green lichen for a beautiful bluegreen color. The lichen by itself was a gorgeous chartreuse but extremely fugitive, however not so when used as an overdye.
Also, maybe use distilled water instead of ‘treated’ tap water.
Marcy Thobaben says
I need to set.my already stained tshirts. Any ideas? Thanks!
Diane says
Soak cotton in a mordant such as AA.
Rinse & dye.
Janet Jensen says
Mulberries work beautifully.
Charlotte Hopkins says
I have been doing this for years to use on my own crafts. I just started experimenting and went from there. I now boil and leave them over night. Wash fabric out by hand then rinse in vinegar and water. I have even used big jars and let them set in the sun for days. It seems to work for me!! THANKS and have a good day!!! Charlotte