The Beginner Dye Kit: Deep Red

These instructions are for wool or silk.  This color is trickier to achieve on cotton or linen. If available, use filtered, distilled or reverse osmosis water for the dye bath. MATERIALS CLICK HERE for our post on setting up your dye studio. PROCEDURE Different Shades For rich reds with an orange base, omit the calcium carbonate in the dye bath. How can I get a different red? Madder and cochineal are the 2 historic reds that react differently when mixed with a mild acid such as cream of tartar. Madder loses its red shade and shifts to orange, and cochineal moves from a magenta … Read more

multicolored dyed eggs in a green ceramic bowl

Dye Easter Eggs With Natural Dyes

Everyone from kids to adults love to get their hands messy when they dye Easter eggs with natural dyes. This is a fun tutorial for adults and kiddos (parents help, please) to make a little Easter magic. First things first, let’s talk about health & safety: We always recommend working in a very well ventilated area. Although natural dyes are non-toxic, when using fine powders it’s best to wear a mask, and keep the windows open. Be mindful around little ones and pets as you don’t want anything going in mouths that shouldn’t be there. Also, when beginning to set … Read more

The Beginner Dye Kit: Liquid Logwood

25 grams of our liquid logwood will dye approximately 250 grams of fiber to a dark purple shade! Logwood by itself is not particularly lightfast, so keep from bright sunlight. Its lightfastness increases and the color darkens to a near black with added iron. In addition, if your water is neutral or acidic, a little soda ash in the dye bath will enrich the purple tone on wool and silk fibers. MATERIALS CLICK HERE for our post on setting up your dye studio. PROCEDURE WASH CARE It is always best to use pH neutral soaps for your natural dyes. This means ecological brands that … Read more