Today I want to start with a completely new topic: embroidery for beginners. To me, embroidery is the most relaxing and meditative fiber craft (along with spinning) and I don’t do it nearly as often as I would like to. When I set up this website a year ago I created an embroidery category which …
This post is all about the differences and commonalities between natural dyes vs. synthetic acid dyes. But first, let’s start with a general definition: What is a Dye? A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to a substrate. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. …
Natural dyeing with onion skins is a great way to get started with natural dyeing. Onion skins are readily available and a form of kitchen waste which makes their use as a natural color source very sustainable. At the beginning of the year I wrote a blog post about natural dyeing for beginners in which …
German sheep breeds are not as popular or numerous as sheep breeds from other countries. There are only eleven breeds originating in Germany. For example, in England, on the other hand, there are 37 native sheep breeds. Therefore, I want to highlight those old German sheep breeds. And to kick off this series, we will …
If you have ever asked yourself how to dye yarn with coffee and which colorways you can create with it, this post is for you. Coffee is another great dyestuff for beginners. It is readily available and a form of kitchen waste, if you collect and use spent coffee grounds. This post contains affiliate links. …
German sheep breeds are not as popular or numerous as sheep breeds from other countries. There are only eleven breeds originating in Germany. For example, in England, on the other hand, there are 37 native sheep breeds. Therefore, I want to highlight those old German sheep breeds in a miniseries.Part 1 of the series was …
Tannins or tannoids are a type of mordant that naturally occur in plants. If you are dyeing protein (e.g. wool) or cellulose (e.g. cotton) fibers with natural dyes, you need a mordant or fixative to help set the dye on the fiber. The mordant forms a coordination complex with the dye which attaches to the …
A Natural Dyer’s Home & Garden Series Part 3 This series is about different kinds of plant materials that are suitable for natural dyeing. Today will be about 5 weeds & wildflowers you can use for natural dyeing.If you haven’t read the first two posts of the series yet, you can click here for the …
A Natural Dyer’s Home & Garden Series Part 4 Welcome to part 4 of this series where I talk about different kinds of plant materials that are suitable for natural dyeing. Today will be about 7 plant materials from the woods you can use for natural dyeing. If you are new to natural dyeing, you …
Today I want to take you along on an experiment of natural dyeing with cochineal. Overall, cochineal is one of my favorite dyestuffs to use due to its versatility and straightforwardness. And it creates the most vibrant shades of pinks. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you use these …
