Natural Dyes and Recipes - All Fiber Arts

Natural and Organic Dyes

E-Bay Watch
Look for dyes at E-Bay.

Madder
Carol Todd grows her own madder root for deep red colours.

Mannam Carpet Vegetable Dyes
Vegetable dyes: Alkanet, henna, indigo, madder, pomegranate, turmeric, walnut.

Marbeling - An Ancient Craft Reborn
Marbling dates back to 12th Century Japan. Rooftop Clothing gives a brief history on the technique, as well as examples of what can be done.

Medieval Gardens
In medieval times, plants were used for food, medicine and dyes. La Belle Compagnie lists many herbs and plants, along with a table of usage.

Natural Dye Research in the South Central Andes
Vickie Cassman did a fascinating research project on dyestuffs of the Andes.

Natural Dyes and Medicine
Rosemary Jacobs explains the connection between vegetable dyes and the pharmaceutical industry.

Natural Dyeing with Oxalis Flowers
Janis Saunders uses Oxalis flowers to dye cotton from a neighbours garden.

Pagan and Lyoness' Dye Page
Indigo, prickly pear, blackberry, lichen and other dye baths and vats.

Queen Ann's Lace
The Hollow Tree Spinners dye with Queen Ann's Lace flowers.

Red with Madder
Mannam Carpet's recipe for madder dye.

Rivendell's Botany Page
This site describes the history of natural dyes and contains a chart of some natural dye substances and dye instructions.

Rosemary
Rosemary leaves and trimmings will dye to greens and yellows with Carol Todd's recipe.

Rug Dyes
Jacobsen Oriental Rugs provides information on natural and synthetic dyes used in Turkish and Balouch rugs.

Sunflower Seeds
Dried Hopi Sunflower seeds and hulls dye to shades of mauves and browns. Recipe by Carol Todd.

Time Line of Major Dye Chemicals and Their Natural Sources
From this un-official SCA site, information on historical dyes.

Traditional Dyes in Guinea
The Quebec Centre for Textile Technology assisted Guinean scientists to develop a better way to extract natural indigo.

Unlocking Nature's Color Magic
Phyllis Rossiter Modeland tells how the procurement of exotic dyestuffs led to the establishment of trade routes, influenced political policy and the course of history.

Vegetable Dyes - Multifold Advantages
Althought the terrain of Nepal yields over 180 dye-bearing plants, natural dyes are being replaced by chemical dyes, resulting in environmental, social and cultural impacts.

Walnut
Black walnut leaves and husks give deep browns. Recipe by Carol Todd.

The Woad Page
From the Rowan's Craftbook, growing, processing and dyeing with woad.

Yellow with Safflower
Mannam Carpets' recipe for dyeing with safflower.

Yuzen Dye Process
Tsutomu Nishino describes the Yuzen dye process that goes into making a kimono.

More about Natural Dyes

Natural Dyes - Part 1

Natural Dyes - Part 2

Natural Dye Plants
Natural dye plants that you can pick in the wild or grow in your garden, with recipes for making the dyes.

Natural Dyes
Information and dye recipes for using natural and vegetable dyes and mordants.

Dyes and Mordants
A table of recipes for natural dyes and mordants.

EBay

Shop for dyes and pigments for knitting, crochet and weaving yarns: CIBA acid dyes, Procion, Cushing, RIT, natural dyestuffs .