Category: Natural Plant Dyeing

More sunny solar dyes from the kitchen and garden

August 27, 2023

As I sit here in temperatures hitting 40 degrees celsius, I thought I’d take a moment inside, in the shade to sit quietly and tell you about a some more glorious colours this summer of high temperatures and ‘burny’ sun have enabled me to create. Following the wonderful vibrant yellow I was able to create using yellow coreopsis and the power of the sun which I shared last time, I’ve been trying this approach with … More More sunny solar dyes from the kitchen and garden

Natural Plant Dyeing: Adding a fabulous new orange to the palette with Bidens

May 31, 2023

Towards the end of last year, as leaves tuned colour, the weather turned colder and frost threatened some tender dye plants, I began to plan some more dyeing experiments; a combination of trying to replicate previous colours and discover new ones. This potential for new colours comes as we explore further what plants will thrive in our clay soil, and in hot dry summers that can transition to cold waterlogged winters overnight, or in the … More Natural Plant Dyeing: Adding a fabulous new orange to the palette with Bidens

Natural Dyeing with Hollyhocks: Stunning Results from The Black Knight

June 30, 2022

As the temperatures soar here I thought it was time to get going with solar dyeing and what better place to start than with my amazing hollyhocks. I love hollyhocks and have grown them for years so you can imagine my disappointment when the first few hollyhocks planted here failed to thrive. I had been kind to them giving them both their beloved sunshine but also the relief of a little shade later in the … More Natural Dyeing with Hollyhocks: Stunning Results from The Black Knight

Low intensity natural plant dyeing in Winter: A simple, step by step, anyone can do it, guide

March 31, 2022

In my previous natural dyeing post I talked about using a new to me method of low intensity dyeing that used the heat generated by our woodburning stove and time. Today I thought I’d share a quick guide to this approach so you can easily see how you could adapt it to suit your circumstances, and integrate elements of it in your dyeing practice should you wish to do so. If you’ve never dyed before, … More Low intensity natural plant dyeing in Winter: A simple, step by step, anyone can do it, guide