Tag: mullein

28 Oct

Natural Dye Samples Autumn 2024

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Autumn 2024 - some small silk samples with current plant stuffs.

Mullein leaves dyed Habotai silk

Dyestuff collected from allotment Autumn 2024:

Soak dyestuff 24 - 48 hrs.  Boil up, simmer for an hour.  Add silk pieces when hand hot and leave for 2-4 days, checking for strength of colour.  Heat up the slow cooker or pot each day to below boiling point, then leave silk to soak further.  Silk will dye in cool liquid.  Mullein took 4 days to reach golden. These samples were dyed with the dyestuff in the pots, which I don't normally do; to obtain ongoing release of pigment.

Extra samples tested with iron: either rusty nail 'iron water' or powder ferrous sulphate.  Colours can be mixed by adding any dye+iron water to any plant/bark dye bath.

This year the rosehip dye result was not very strong, (previously has been peach or salmon pink); but did enable a faux 'alkanet' colour with a little iron added.

A further soak in  rosehip with a good measure of iron water from dark rosemary+iron dye bath (which appeared black), produced a dull gold; the rosemary yellow being much stronger than the rosehip peach.

Blue-mauve originally dyed with Hesperanthe (lavender tone):  made stronger tone with additional 2 day soaking in discarded flowers of magenta Amaranthe. (from failed eco print)

21 Aug

Mullein Dyed Silk

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Mullein gold colour is not from the flowers, but the LEAVES.

Soak before, and simmer mullein leaves to release colour

Boiled leaves removed. Silk added to brown dye.

Ahimsa Silk absorbs mullein leaf dye well. It dries much lighter than it first appears.

The longer silk is left in a strong dye bath the more colour it may absorb, for a stronger and deeper colour.  This looked dark, and I washed it out, but it could have been darker if left over night.  A small piece of silk will not be able to absorb all the dye, so a secondary piece can be added later.

I may not have used a mordant (such as alum), as colour dried light gold beige.  A good neutral background for painting on.

Many plants produce a dye for cream, beige, or gold;  which is very useful background for silk painting on, rather than stark white. Intensity varies.  More antique tone can be achieved by adding ferrous water to the dye bath. (iron - made from rusty nail water). Other metals could be experimented with.  Copper will have an effect.  Making the dye bath in copper pan has an effect.

Images copyright Amelia Jane Hoskins Please email for use permission.