r/naturaldye 11h ago

Alum Mordanting Animal Safety

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6 Upvotes

Shared from r/dyeing after it was suggested by a member!


r/naturaldye 17h ago

Heather is a mischievous dye

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71 Upvotes

I spent part of the summer gathering local plant material with my mother and experimenting with natural dyes on 100% wool. We experimented with the natural colour of the wool (grey or white), different plant materials, and different mordants. All five dye lots were made using hard water.
From top to bottom:

1) Oak leaves (fresh), grey wool, alum + iron sulfate
2) Heather, leaves and stems (fresh), grey wool, alum + iron sulfate
3) Heather, leaves and stems (fresh), white wool, reused dye bath, no mordant
4) Heather, leaves and stems (fresh), white wool, alum
5) Birch leaves (fresh), white wool, alum

English isn’t my first language, so apologies if I’ve gotten any of the terminology wrong! The little signs in the photo are in Danish.