5 More Things to Know before You Start Natural Dyeing

A few weeks ago, Wendy listed five handy things to know before you start natural dyeing. (If you haven’t seen Part 1, you can find it here). That wasn’t the end of Wendy’s advice, however. She’s got five more tips to help you start dyeing with natural dyes successfully. For even more information from Wendy on natural dyeing, keep an eye out for her article “Dyeing from the Orchard” in our upcoming Fall 2025 issue. —Christina

Once you have your first dye project under your belt, you’ll have a framework by which to understand the variety of methods out there. Many factors can affect your results; rather than being put off if your results are different than expected, make notes about the recipe and materials you used and keep a swatch for future reference! In the meantime, here are five more tips to help you get started.

Scour your fabric first.

Scouring is the process of cleaning fiber or fabric. You want your materials to be perfectly clean for the best dye results. Scouring typically involves simmering your fiber in a scouring solution. However, if you’ll be working with commercial fabric that is prepared for dyeing (sometimes called PFD), washing it in the washing machine is sufficient. Avoid using color brighteners or fabric softeners in your scouring load.

There is no single definitive way to mordant fabric.

Mordanting is the next step after scouring. A mordant is an agent that helps dye molecules bond to fibers. There are a variety of mordants, which can be used separately or in combination for different results. Some must be handled as toxic substances, and others are fairly benign. Aluminum potassium sulfate (also known as alum) is a classic mordant, suitable for both protein and cellulose fibers. It is safe to handle and has a low toxicity in the environment.

Cochineal dyes differently on Merino wool versus cotton cord. The mordant for both was aluminum potassium sulfate (also known as alum), but the cotton was pre-treated with acorn tannin. Photo credit: Wendy Arnott

Cellulose needs help.

Cellulose fibers often need extra help to achieve deep colors. It is common practice to treat cellulose fabrics in a tannin solution before treating the fabric with other mordants. In addition, soda ash (aka washing soda) is often added to the mordant solution to create the pH that cellulose prefers.

Extracting dye can be as simple or as complicated as you like.

Some dyers are very precise about time, temperature, and weight of goods (WOG) when extracting color from raw materials. This is for the purpose of creating consistent dye results, but it is not a prerequisite for dyeing. A helpful rule of thumb is that often (though not always) you will need your fiber and raw dye goods to be equal in weight in order to create mid-to-deep tones of color in your finished piece.

Your favorite part comes last.

After preparing your fiber and extracting the dye, it’s finally time to dye your fiber! And it is well worth the wait because it is magical to watch fiber change color before your eyes!

It is helpful to have some references on hand any time you are dyeing, and there are many wonderful resources available! To get started with a step-by-step project, check out my eBook Natural Dyes from the Orchard, which walks you through five projects to gift or wear. Another compact and approachable guide is 10 Plants for Color by Deepa Preeti Natarajan and Helen Kryenhoff. If you’re interested in foraging for dye, Harvesting Color by Rebecca Burgess is an inspiring introduction and provides clear instructions. My all-time favorite reference is the classic Wild Color by Jenny Dean; this is a good one for expanding your repertoire. Also good for expanding your knowledge are The Art and Science of Natural Dyes by Joy Boutrup and Catherine Ellis and the DVD series Natural Dye Workshop with Michel Garcia.