The Natural Dye Garden

[@kaytiej8311]

I'm so excited for this video. Finally some natural sources that I might actually have! And you are always so informative. Thank you!

[@AnnikaScheer]

Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so happy to hear that you enjoy the video! What do you have growing in your garden that you can use for natural dyeing?

[@kaytiej8311]

@@AnnikaScheer I'm in Australia so eucalyptus is not hard to find! I do have Rosemary and access to lots of rose petals in season. I have wondered what other native Australian plants/flowers might offer regarding dyes.

[@AnnikaScheer]

@@kaytiej8311 A good indicator for what might be a potential dye plant is often the scent. So if a plant has a strong scent, chances are that it can be used for natural dyeing. In addition, you could have a look at your native herbs as well as consider using tree barks. 🙂

[@kaytiej8311]

@@AnnikaScheer that's excellent to know, thank you!

[@denised6037]

Roses!!!

[@AnnikaScheer]

Roses are wonderful, aren't they? I have lots of different roses in my garden and am constantly trying to find spots to plant more. 😊

[@denised6037]

@@AnnikaScheer me too....

[@karenalbery2773]

I have only tried natural dying with a couple things and they were super disappointing. Weak tea color at best. I have abundant black walnut and I would love to get some of the rich chocolate browns that I have read you can achieve with back walnut. I would love more information on mordent and how to make sure your colors are fixed. Do you have any favorite resource books?

[@AnnikaScheer]

Don't worry, it was the same for me when I started. Lots of unimpressive shades of beiges and tans. Proper mordanting is indeed key, so you are definitly on the right track. Here are a couple of resources for you to check out: Mordants for Natural Dyes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpubYauDf9p1mrM&list=UULF-Ve2ZWz5wZ9WFlzm57wOMw How to Mordant with Alum & Aluminium Triformate: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIjIqGiiaMmhsLM And here is a blog post about some of my favorite natural dyeing books: www.rosemaryandpinesfiberarts.de/natural-dyeing-books/ Let me know if you have any other questions! And best of luck with your walnut dyeing!

[@kirstengabrielsen3087]

Hi Annika, Thanks for another nice video. Have you ever tried using dried goldenrod for solar dyeing? I just set up a solar dye with dried 2023 sulphur cosmos and it's quite 'potent' even after a year. Wondering if the same may be the case with goldenrod.

[@AnnikaScheer]

Hi Kirsten, that sounds very interesting, thank you for mentioning it! I haven‘t used dried goldenrod yet, but I do have some dried rose petals. But to be honest, I feel like freezing dye stuff might be an even better way to keep dye materials potent over a longer period of time. I am currently running a little experiment with frozen avocado pits and skins.

[@AnnikaScheer]

How did your sulphur cosmos dye turn out, Kirsten?

[@kirstengabrielsen3087]

@@AnnikaScheer seem like they’re just about as bright orange as when fresh. 🧡

[@AnnikaScheer]

@@kirstengabrielsen3087 That's good to know, thank you so much for sharing!