Natural fabric dye | 5 best natural dyeing recipes

What is a natural dye?

Natural dyes are those in which the code color providing agent is obtained from nature. It can be vegetable, invertebrates, minerals. Using natural dyes instead of chemical dyes can be really helpful to decrease the pollution caused by dyeing industries.

Types of natural dye:

Natural dyes can be divided into 3 types:

1. Based on the application:

Direct dye:

These are those dyes that can be applied directly onto the fabric without the help of any additional agent. Example: Indigo, turmeric, etc.

Mordant dye:

These are those dyes that need a mordanting agent (metallic agent) to make a bond with the fabric. Without the addition of salt, they give poor output. Example: Logwood, madder, etc.

Depending on color:

According to application classes in “Color Index”, Dyes are divided according to the hue. There are some dyes that provide more than one hue.

Depending on the source:

Natural dyes can be obtained from:

• Plants

• Animals

Here is the list of natural dyes from these sources:

Example of natural dyes from plants:

Carrot (orange)

Onion skin (orange)

Oak bark (brown)

Tea, coffee (brown)

Cherries (pink)

Berries (pink)

Rose petals (pink)

Indigo (blue)

Blueberries (blue)

Purple grapes (blue)

Pomegranates (Reddish brown)

Beet (Reddish brown)

Hibiscus (Reddish brown)

Blackberries (grayish black)

Iris root (greyish black)

Red sumac berries (reddish-purple)

Pokeweed berries (reddish-purple)

Spinach (green)

Peppermint leaves (green)

Sunflower petals (yellow)

Turmeric (yellow)

Dandelion flower (yellow)

Example of natural dyes from animals:

Cochineal (red)

Lac kerria lacca (red, violet)

Murex/rock snails (purple)

Octopus/cuttlefish ink (sepia brown)

Best fabrics for natural dyeing:

The chemical construction of each fiber is different, that’s why not every fabric can be easily dyed with natural dyes. Typically fabric made from natural fibers tends to give the best result. The best choices for natural dyeing are-

• Cotton

• Silk

• Wool

• Linen

A natural-synthetic blend does not give a satisfactory result. The output color is lighter and looks faded. They do not even blend with a lot of colors. So it’s better to stick to natural fiber.

How does dye fabric using natural dye?

1. Dyeing cotton fabric with onion skin (color: burnt orange with a brownish tint):

Ingredients needed:

1. Onion skin (the more onion skin, the more color)

2. Cotton fabric

3. 2 pots (1 for boiling, 1 for soaking)

4. Soda ash

5. Vinegar (Mordanting/color fixing agent)

6. Strainer.

Process:

• Divide onion skins based on color (red skin, orange skin). Always use dry skin from the outside of an onion.

• Rinse the onion skin if they are dirty.

• Put the skin in a bowl of water and put it on the stove.

• At first, keep the heat high, let it boil.

• Then lower the heat and keep it on the stove for an hour. This will extract all the pigment from the skin of the onion.

• Strain the water in another big pot.

• For best color payoff, scour the fabric (use washing soda to remove all the dirt, oil, and wax from the fabric).

• Then soak your cotton fabric in a vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to four parts cold water) for an hour. Tannic acid can also be used.

• Wash the fabric with cold water.

• Then dip the fabric into the pigmented water.

• Let it sit in the water for 4-5 hours. Prolonged dipping time does not increase color intensity.

• Cold wash the fabric using a gentle detergent.

2. Dyeing cotton fabric using turmeric (yellow to mustard):

Ingredients needed:

1. Turmeric (powder preferred)

2. Cotton fabric

3. Pot for boiling and soaking

4. Soda ash

5. Vinegar (Mordanting/color fixing agent)

Process:

• Pour water in a big bowl and put it on the stove.

• Heat up the water.

• Start adding turmeric powder. The more turmeric, the more color. You can even saturate the water for a very deep turmeric color.

• Remove the bowl from the stove.

• For best color payoff, scour the fabric (use washing soda to remove all the dirt, oil, and wax from the fabric).

• Then soak your cotton fabric in a vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to four parts cold water) for an hour. Tannic acid can also be used.

• Wash the fabric with cold water.

• Dip the fabric into the water and keep it for half an hour to an hour.

• Cold wash the fabric with a gentle detergent.

3. Dyeing cotton fabric using blackberries (color: purple):

Ingredients needed:

1. Blackberries.

2. Cotton fabric.

3. 2 pots (1 for boiling, 1 for soaking)

4. Soda ash

5. Salt (Mordanting/color fixing agent)

6. Strainer.

Process:

• Chop the berries.

• Put the berries in a bowl of water.

• Put the pot on the stove at high heat until it boils. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and keep it on the stove for about an hour.

• Strain out the water.

• Put the pigmented water in a big pot so that the fabric can be properly soak in it.

• For best color payoff, scour the fabric (use washing soda to remove all the dirt, oil, and wax from the fabric.

• Then soak your cotton fabric in a salt solution (half cup salt in eight cups of cold water) for an hour.

• Wash the fabric with cold water.

• Then dip the fabric into the pigmented water.

• Let in sit in the water for 4 hours at least.

• Cold wash the fabric with a gentle detergent.

4. Dyeing cotton fabric using rose petals (color: light pink to mauve):

Ingredients needed:

1. Rose petals.

2. Cotton fabric.

3. 2 pots (1 for boiling, 1 for soaking)

4. Soda ash

5. Vinegar (Mordanting/color fixing agent)

6. Strainer.

Process:

• Tear the petals a little bit.

• Put the petals in a bowl of water.

• Put the pot on the stove at high heat until it boils. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and keep it on the stove for about an hour.

• Strain out the water.

• Put the pigmented water in a big pot so that the fabric can be properly soaked in it.

• For best color payoff, scour the fabric (use washing soda to remove all the dirt, oil, and wax from the fabric.

• Then soak your cotton fabric in a salt solution (half cup salt in eight cups of cold water) for an hour. Tannic acid can also be used.

• Wash the fabric with cold water.

• Then dip the fabric into the pigmented water.

• Let in sit in the water for 4 hours at least.

• Cold wash the fabric with a gentle detergent.

5. Dyeing cotton fabric using red cabbage (Color: purple):

Ingredients needed:

1. Red cabbage.

2. Cotton fabric.

3. 2 pots (1 for boiling, 1 for soaking)

4. Soda ash

5. Vinegar (Mordanting/color fixing agent)

6. Strainer.

 

Process:

• Chop the cabbage into small pieces.

• Put the pieces in a bowl of water.

• Put the pot on the stove at a high heat until it boils. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and keep it on the stove for about an hour.

• Strain out the water.

• Put the pigmented water in a big pot so that the fabric can be properly soak in it.

• For best color payoff, scour the fabric (use washing soda to remove all the dirt, oil, and wax from the fabric).

• Then soak your cotton fabric in a salt solution (half cup salt in eight cups of cold water) for an hour. Tannic acid can also be used.

• Wash the fabric with cold water.

• Then dip the fabric into the pigmented water.

• At first boil the fabric with pigmented water for 40 minutes and then let it sit in the water for 6 hours at least.

• Cold wash the fabric with gentle detergent.

Variation:

• Cabbage stock has a pretty neutral P^H level.

• By adding vinegar, the color will instantly shift toward red side (due to decreased P^H level) and you’ll get a reddish-magenta stock.

• By adding baking soda, the color will instantly shift toward blue side (due to increased P^H level) and you’ll get a deep blue stock.