In the previous post I showed dyeing with alder buckthorn (aka glossy buckthorn, rhamnus frangula, rhamnus alnus) on mainly protein fibres such as merino wool and handwoven silk. In this post I will show the dye process with exact amounts and on cellulose fabrics. None of the textiles were mordanted, but all were washed with [...]

A bit of fun history Rhamnus frangula aka Frangula alnus, commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn. Unlike other “buckthorns”, alder buckthorn does not have thorns. The word frangula is derived from the Latin “frangere”, breaking and refers to the fragility of the wood. The Dutch name “vuilboom” (foul tree) is related [...]

I love going to the museum and looking at the different gowns in the portraits and how they must have dyed them. Remember this famous painting by Jan Van Eyck? Look at that amazing green. (Just a fun fact; the lady looks pregnant but probably is just holding a whole lot of fabric in the [...]

As I worked my way through several 18th century dye manuals I could not miss the reference to using natural dyes in calico printing. Calico is a simple name for many different techniques that involve the application of patterned mordants and dyes with the use of wooden carved blocks, or with pencils, or screens, Calico [...]

I went to visit the fields in Brabant where Rubia tinctorum has been cultivated since the 14th century, when it was brought to Europe from Asia by Karel The Great. In fact, it had the name of being the best crop available throughout the 18th century (E. Bancroft). There is something very profound about reviewing [...]

Prune de Monsieur, the durable logwood mordant. The logwood discoveries have been ongoing over the last few months. Logwood (campecheianum heamatoxylon) really is a crowd pleaser. Stunning purples, blues, greys and blacks from a tree that is fast-growing, easy to use in dyeing, and extra bonus; economical. it would have been the greatest dye on [...]

In this blog I will show the different colours achieved with tannins, and how to create a dark background using an iron Blanket in eco printing. The classic way of creating blacks and other dark backgrounds in eco printing is the use of tannins in combination with ferrous sulphate (often called; iron). It’s quick, easy [...]

If you know my work you know I will always try to go straight to the source of everything; my cochineal comes directly from a small farmer, the eri silk fabrics come from a family of weavers I know personally, and so on. Until now, my Indigo has always come from India. In the region [...]

I know I promised, and then things happened but after the post about logwood blue, here is the method for logwood black. Logwood black sequence Lately I have been doing a lot of cross research, taking recipes from different (old) books such as Bancroft, Bronson and Liles and evaluating the percentages. Often this is a [...]

Introduction; Logwood, haematoxylon campechianum, member of the pea family. Once it was super popular, then it became forbidden for use because it was not lightfast by Queen Elizabeth I of Engeland in 1581. Can we use it in good faith as a natural dye? I believe we can, but good mordanting is the key to [...]

What you wear is how you feel, and when you wear something that you have a relationship with beyond the fibre, it feels so much better. Sounds cheesy? Maybe. Let me introduce you to handwoven textiles and I promise you, you will never look back. About silk worms. Did you know there are over 500 [...]

How to use sappan wood as a fabric dye. Sappan Wood, also known as eastern Brazilwood, or East Indian red wood. Latin name: Caesalpinia Sappan Sappan wood is a multipurpose tree, giving us valuable natural dyes with medicinal plant properties. In India, it is cultivated in gardens and nurseries as a live fence plant in [...]

I only knew one type of Rhubarb; the sour, rich red compote my English aunt introduced us to. Eaten with clotted cream or in a tray bake with delicious crumbs on top. The tart, sour taste that makes your mouth wrinkle compensated with a lot of sugar. In Israel I was able to find it [...]

My first tries where just to boil the powder which gave me gorgeous greenish tans. A little post mordanting with 1%wof ferrous sulphate made the colours even more intense. Then I discovered something completely different which required no heating and almost no water in less than 30 minutes. No heating and no water, and less [...]

The last months (and months to come) I am working on a project that contains a series of up cycled wedding dresses. This is the first one; Redemption Dress The work that has forced me to have a long, hard look at myself. Who am I, in my core. What’s me and what do I [...]

It all looks so simple, you take a few leaves, roll them up, boil them down, and presto; there is your eco-printed scarf. In reality, this work comes with a lot (a lot!) of extra gear that takes ups a lot of space. And it is ever-growing! I encourage each and every one to lead [...]

It all looks so simple, you take a few leaves, roll them up, boil them down, and presto; there is your eco-printed scarf. In reality, this work comes with a lot (a lot!) of extra gear that takes ups lot of space. And it is ever growing! I encourage each and everyone to lead a [...]

A post about all the different salts available for natural dyeing and botanical printing. How to use in dyeing; use when using Procyon and RIT dyes (yes I know that’s not natural). When you are dying with direct- and reactive dyes, you need to add salt to your dye bath. This is to prevent dye [...]