Tag: Sumac

27 Oct

Sumac Flower Dye – Salmon Pink

Amelia Hoskins / Dye Bath Processes, Dye Plants, Plant Dye, Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

SUMAC Flower seeds silk dye Salmon Pink Terracotta

Modifier tests on Sumac dye

Good strong tones achieved with modifiers.  [See notebook image above.]  I chose to simply use alum sulphate as a pre-mordant (which matches my silk pieces, although no mordant at all (centre test sample), would be fine.  An interesting change from predominant salmon pink, is the pale straw sample, modified with Sodium Bicarbonate, (alkaline). This stops the pink coming through, but Sumac is more valuable for the stronger terracotta pinks.

Shetland wool was soaked in dye jar, but probably not mordanted, and has oils in (must be alkaline), which prevented the pink shades.  Shetland wool, dyed ginger was found in previous year's jar of Sumac dye!  Worth leaving wool in for longer after dyeing silk pieces.

Sumac flower spikes start deep red, but these were picked when turned russet, in October.  Soak flowers in water until dye appears. I left these for a few weeks before adding fabric.  Silks Habotai and Erin were soaked for a few days amongst the flower seeds. They took up dye quickly, but I wanted to make sure they got as strong as possible.

12 Nov

Sumac Leaves and Flowers

Amelia Hoskins / Plant dye processes / / 0 Comments

Sumac leaves (Autumn red)  -  Three samples steamed together

TOP: Ahimsa silk: Previously gold dyed produced Sumac light brown eco-print - 'Earth' side.  Small deep purple salvias steamed out very pale.  TWO ABOVE: Hesperanthe purple flowers printed on the habotai silk 'Sun' side.   BELOW: No print hardly. The silk was previously dyed blue with Hesperanthe, but it steamed out completely, leaving a 'shadow' of pink.

SUMAC jar of flower-seeds

Habotai silk soaked for a week produced strong deep gold (like eucalyptus bark). Sumac jar resulted in a deep orangey brown dye in jar in sunny window.  Silk and wool strands in amaranthe jar turned pale yellow. [needs correct modifier].  [AFTERNOTE: wool found a year later result deep ginger! See 2025 Sumac Dye]

Wool scarf, knotted to get a variegated effect, soaking in Sumac flower seed dye liquid.

Fine Wool soaked in Sumac 48 hours.  Took on a peachy gold colour.  Knots made no difference to colour saturation when opened and washed. In Nov 2025 I found a ball of shetland wool left in the Sumac 2024 yr jar.  It had turned strong ginger.

Sumac dyed fine wool scarf was over eco-printed with large red Catalpa Bignonionides leaves.   A stronger violet-brown leaf result than Catalpa wool scarf 1; so Sumac tannin must have helped the leaf colour deepen; more so than previously over-dyed Comfrey wool scarf which stayed yellowish background.  [Both Sumac flowers and Catalpa Bignoniodes leaves are both ready in November, so a good choice to try again in 2025]

Lemon juice brings out the PINK-CRIMSON of Catalpa leaves.  It remains to be seen if it fades or not.

Catalpa Wool Scarf 2 continues HERE.

Images copyright Amelia Jane Hoskins Please email for use permission.