Natural Dyeing Guides

Step-by-step guides to dyeing with plants: how to prepare and mordant fabric, how to use madder, weld and indigo, and tested recipes for every color. New to natural dyeing? Start with Natural Dyes: Everything You Need to Know.

Madder-dyed swatches showing red, brick and brown color variations

Madder Dye Troubleshooting: Why Madder Turns Br...

Eight reasons madder goes brown or orange instead of red, including heat, soft or acidic water, too little dye, iron and weak mordants, with a fix for each.

Madder Dye Troubleshooting: Why Madder Turns Br...

Eight reasons madder goes brown or orange instead of red, including heat, soft or acidic water, too little dye, iron and weak mordants, with a fix for each.

Madder test swatches on cotton, linen, silk and wool with and without an iron modifier

Iron Mordant Guide: Ferrous Sulfate Dyeing for ...

A practical guide to iron (ferrous sulfate) in natural dyeing: how much to use as a modifier or mordant, how to make iron water, how to get greys and blacks,...

Iron Mordant Guide: Ferrous Sulfate Dyeing for ...

A practical guide to iron (ferrous sulfate) in natural dyeing: how much to use as a modifier or mordant, how to make iron water, how to get greys and blacks,...

Madder-dyed wool yarn and fabric swatches with different mordants

How to Dye Yarn with Natural Dyes: Wool Skeins ...

A step-by-step guide to natural dyeing wool yarn, from figure-8 skein ties and gentle scouring to alum mordanting, felting prevention and dye rates in % WOF.

How to Dye Yarn with Natural Dyes: Wool Skeins ...

A step-by-step guide to natural dyeing wool yarn, from figure-8 skein ties and gentle scouring to alum mordanting, felting prevention and dye rates in % WOF.

Bundle-dyed silk shawl with orange and rust plant prints

Eco Printing Guide: Botanical Leaf Prints on Si...

How to eco print (botanical contact print) on silk, wool and cotton: mordanting, the iron blanket, the best leaves, and steaming or simmering times.

Eco Printing Guide: Botanical Leaf Prints on Si...

How to eco print (botanical contact print) on silk, wool and cotton: mordanting, the iron blanket, the best leaves, and steaming or simmering times.

Fabric swatches dyed with buckthorn seed powder in yellow, gold and olive shades

Persian Berries Dye Guide: Turkish Buckthorn (C...

How to dye with Persian berries (Turkish cehri buckthorn): names, history, chemistry, rates for whole berries, powder and extract, and recipes for yellow, gold, orange and olive.

Persian Berries Dye Guide: Turkish Buckthorn (C...

How to dye with Persian berries (Turkish cehri buckthorn): names, history, chemistry, rates for whole berries, powder and extract, and recipes for yellow, gold, orange and olive.

Linen fabric dyed with black walnut hull in light to dark brown

Black Walnut Dye Guide: Browns to Near-Black fr...

A practical guide to black walnut hull dye: how much powder to use, how to get tan, chocolate and near-black with alum and iron, and how to handle walnut safely.

Black Walnut Dye Guide: Browns to Near-Black fr...

A practical guide to black walnut hull dye: how much powder to use, how to get tan, chocolate and near-black with alum and iron, and how to handle walnut safely.