Natural Dyes:

Naturals dyes are obtained from flowers, trees, shrubs, berries, leaves, insects and minerals.   These dyes have been used for centuries to produce colors for fabrics, yarns, leather, foods etc.  The beauty of natural dyes rests in their colors and the ability for these colors to blend and mix in a way uniform and visually pleasing.  No synthetic dyes to date have been made that match the subtle tones created by the natural dyes.

The following dyes are now available at EveryDay Mehndi.  We offer them so that you will have easy access to what you will need and desire to create beautiful work on silk.  These same dyes may be used on cotton and to dye wool fabric and yarns.

The first set of dyes can be mixed and blended and can bleed to create all colors of the spectrum.  Knowledge of color mixing will greatly help you in knowing how to create all of the colors you desire from combining red, yellow and blue.

Natural Dyes List

All dyes are sold in 1 oz. quantities unless otherwise noted.

Dye	Scientific name	Color yielded	Price	Add to cart
Alkanet Root	Alkanna Tinctoria	Bluish grey to soft burgundy.	$7.75
Annato Seed	Bixa Orellana	Orange shade	$5.00
Brazilwood Sawdust	Caesalpania Echinata	This dye will give reds.	$5.75
Cochineal	Dactylopius Coccus	Dark burgundy to bright red to soft lilac and pink.	$10.95
Cutch Extract		Easy dye. Produces brown tones if used by itself.	$3.50
Indigo, Natural	Indigofera Tinctoria	Produces a dark dark to bright blue, easy to use.	$10.00
Kamala Powder	Mallotus Philippinensis	Brilliant yellows, oranges on wool, mohair and silk.	$7.00
Log wood Extract	Hematoxylon Campechianum	Magentas and browns to purples and pinks	$12.00
Madder Root	Rubia Tinctorum	Red to red-brown and oranges	$6.00
Osage Orange Dust	Maclura Pomifer	Bright yellow to gold.	$4.90
Myrobalan Extract			$7.25
Red Sandal wood	Pterocarpus	Browns, beautiful for blending.	$5.50
Tumeric		Produces golden yellow/orange	$2.50
Ginger		Produces soft yellows	$2.50
Fenugreek		Produces yellows	$2.50
Chlorophyll			$4.00
Fustic Extract			$5.50
Safflower Powder		Golden yellows	$7.10
Henna		Soft shades of golden browns to brown reds	(check out prices throughout website)
Other Natural Dyes:
Cinnamon Bark Powder			$1.75
Licorice Root Powder			$2.00
Paprika Powder			$2.00
Elderberries Whole			$3.50
Rosehips		Powder pink	$1.75
Ginseng Powder	Siberian		$1.75
Tansy			$3.00
Goldenrod Powder			$2.55
Rosebuds and petals red whole			$2.00
Juniper berry Powder			$2.95
Marigold flower			$2.85
Spinach powder			$3.00
Black Walnut Hull Powder			$1.75
Beetroot Powder			$2.65

Silk Habotai Scarves to dye

Our finished scarves come in 3 sizes, with rolled hems on all four sides, of an 8 mm weave. They’re ready for dye: Nothing else can reward you for your hard work the way that silk will.

• Habotai Silk Scarf 15" x 60" 5.90
• Habotai Silk Scarf 30" square 7.10
• Habotai Silk Scarf 35" square 8.90

Here is a beautiful example of how natural dyes have been used on silk by Catherine Cartwright-Jones.  Catherine does wonderful work with these dyes on fabric.especially on silk.  On this particular piece, Catherine uses indigo, tumeric and henna.  To find more information about this particular process,  Catherine and Jeremy Roundtree have done a wonderful job illustrating this process in the October 2002 edition of the Henna Page Journal.  Read the latest Henna Page Journal.

HMWC Natural Dyes Forum

http://pub169.ezboard.com/fhennaandmehndiworldcommunityfrm7

Join a community of people interested and learning about dyeing with natural dyes.  Come share your knowledge and learn from others.

NATURAL DYEING: very basic instructions

Natural dyes are great for a number of fabrics other than silk.  Here is some information from Earth Guild that you may find useful.  The information provided about mordents and their effects on the dyes is particularly a good thing to know and keep in mind when you are dying.

Natural dyes may be animal, vegetable or mineral. These instructions refer to the dyes in our starter set, which are all vegetable dyes. And they refer to the dyeing of wool. Cotton, linen, silk and other fibers can be naturally dyed, but it is harder to do, and not suitable for first attempts. Please also see our MORDANTING INSTRUCTIONS for more complete information about this process.

PREPARATION OF WOOL

It is important to remove dirt and grease completely before dyeing. Wash wool at least two times in warm, soapy water. Rinse till the water runs clear. Skeins should not be over-large, and should be tied in several places to prevent tangling. Ties should have tight knots and loose loops.

METHODS OF DYEING

There are three basic methods:

• Mordant wool first, then add it to dye-bath.
• Mordant and dye wool in the same dye-bath.
• Dye wool first, than fix by mordenting.

We recommend pre-mordanting with alum, and using other color-modifying mordents as additives in the dye-pot. This yields sets of related colors. See MORDANTING RIFF.

AMOUNTS OF DYESTUFF REQUIRED (To dye one pound of wool.)

• Alkanet: 1 to 4 oz
• Brazilwood Chips: 1 to 6 oz
• Cutch Extract: 1 to 2 oz
• Henna: 3 to 8 oz
• Madder Root: 3 to 8 oz
• Osage Orange Sawdust: 3 to 8 oz
• Logwood Extract: 1/5 to 1 oz

PREPARATION OF DYE-BATH

Dyestuffs are generally put into cold water and heated slowly. Big pieces should be broken up first. Some benefit from being soaked before heat is applied. Most dyestuffs need to be boiled to extract the color (madder should not be heated beyond a simmer; boiling releases brown dyes). Powders must be fully dissolved. Twigs or bark or other bits and pieces which may get snarled up in the yarn should be strained out before yarn is added. Heat till color is released into the bath, then allow to cool slightly.

Dye-pots must be non-reactive (enamel is good) if you want a clear color; iron or other metal pots will act as mordents and affect your results. And they must be large enough for the amount of wool to be dyed to spread out and move around freely, to avoid uneven dyeing. Four gallons of water to one pound of fiber is about right.

DYEING

Enter wet wool into a tepid bath. Heat slowly. Avoid abrupt temperatures changes throughout, to minimize shrinking. Rough stirring causes felting; be gentle. Dye until desired shade is reached, or bath is exhausted, remembering that colors are darker on wet wool than on dry. Let the bath cool, then lift wool out, carefully. Squeeze gently to remove excess dye. Rinse till there is no run-off, and allow to dry.

COLOR PROBABILITIES FOR NATURAL DYEING

Copyright © 2001-2005... All documents, text, pictures, designs enclosed are the property of Maureen Jones, EveryDay Mehndi,(unless otherwise indicated and may not be copied or used for any purposes without the written permission of Maureen Jones or the artist or writer indicated. Henna artists are welcomed to use patterns and designs for their own work but must at all times give credit to the original creator of the work. Site design by sleeping baby productions