A Garden to Dye For. Chris McLaughlin

find in order to get a feel for different fibers slipping through my hands and being pulled onto the wheel that magically transformed it into yarn. I already kept Angora rabbits, but things really got humming when I was given an Angora goat for Christmas.

      And colors . . . oh, the colors. The urge to create hues of my own – this time for my fiber – resurfaced. Who better to turn to than my beloved plants?

      Gardeners and the Plants That Love Them

      Today, America is making a wise shift towards natural and organic practices. In fact, many people (maybe even you) are designing their entire lifestyle around natural and organic. You may have already guessed that there are some great perks that come with obtaining dyes from your own plants: they’re non-toxic, biodegradable (compost anyone?) and absolutely renewable.

      Using botanical dyes isn’t even remotely close to being a new concept. People from all over the world have been borrowing nature’s colors for thousands of years, using plant-based dyes to adorn clothing, baskets, cave walls, and skin. It’s the ultimate in awesome to realize that when we derive color from the plants in our gardens or landscapes, we’re communing creatively with our ancient ancestors and civilizations.

      Another natural by-product of your new hobby is that your actions will align perfectly with others who have similar values that you do as a gardener. Slow movement folks, handcrafters, artisans, and the home gardener . . . all share a love to some degree for less environmental impact, good health, nature – as well as for the human experience and creative expression.

      As a plant person, I can’t think of a better group of people to create natural dyes than gardeners. Not only do we already have creativity and experimentation in our blood, but we know how to work with and not against the best parts of nature. We understand that time is perhaps a garden’s best friend; and it’s the same for the dye pot. We’ve already learned to appreciate every season in the garden.

      We know that what starts out as young and vibrant may gracefully fade, bringing a new landscape that’s perhaps less vivid than the last, but just as lovely. Natural color can evolve in the same way on our textiles, too. Gardeners have, quite simply, the right heart for the craft. Plus, I doubt that any of you will be able to resist it.

      Many of you are crafters in your own right and are always looking for new ways to incorporate your love for gardening into . . . well, everything else in your life. Hand spinners, knitters, crocheters, fabric weavers, basket weavers, and sewers will all find natural dyes useful. If you have yet to discover these particular arts, there’s always paper, tie-dye T-shirts, curtains, linens – and don’t forget, beautiful scarves and playsilks just begging for natural color!

       Healthy Hues? Good Question!

      I was also thinking about all of the current evidence about how our skin readily absorbs the everyday chemicals that we place both on and around our bodies and the health issues they pose. If that’s true, then couldn’t it also be true with the plant dyes?

      When we wear textiles and our kids play with textiles colored with natural dyes, could we be absorbing the healthy properties of our herb plants? I certainly don’t have definitive answers, but it does stand to reason and brings up exciting questions.

      In fact, this is a brand new area of study and The University of Derby in the UK seems to be quite interested in the topic. Dr. Kate Wells, Senior Lecturer in Textiles at the university, is investigating whether garments dyed using traditional, natural colorings (like indigo, woad, turmeric and henna) can directly improve our physical wellbeing by their contact with the skin. In a research paper published in the Journal of the International Colour Association, she writes: “Historically many dye plants were once regarded to have “magical” properties, with the power to heal and to keep evil away. Today many of these plants that can be used for dye extraction are classified as medicinal and in recent studies have been shown to process remarkable anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral activity.”

      Create some gorgeous wearable art.

      To encourage more research on the subject, Dr. Wells asks the question, “What possibilities exist within the chemical nature of certain natural dyes to help with healing and well-being, and in the future will we be wearing clothes dyed with such colours from nature that we will be able to enhance our wellbeing as well as be fashionable?”

      Go, Kate!

      Let’s Talk Colorfast, Lightfast, Fugitive, and a Few Other Things

      One of the first comments I hear when anyone mentions that they use “natural dyes” is that they’re not colorfast like their synthetic counterparts; which seems to imply that they’re not worth the time or effort, because the colors don’t always “stick” for long periods of time.

      I’ll admit that I’ve read and listened to my fair share of arguments from both “sides” (if you will) of this dye tug-of-war and I’ve decided that I have to stand with those who use and enjoy natural dyes. Mostly because I don’t find the arguments truly important when it comes to the casual dyer or experimenter.

      As in life, not everything is black or white, nor are there any absolutes. In fact, if you are a person who lives for absolutes, this book just might frustrate you. On the other hand, it could loosen up your tie.

      I’m going to try to keep my thoughts as concise as possible, but anyone reading this who has met me in real life is already snickering at the thought – so buckle in.

      First things first: What exactly do we mean by “colorfast”?

      Usually when we think of something as colorfast, we feel that this implies permanence – the color stays exactly how it began, without so much as a change in hue. But fibers can lose color in a couple of different ways.

      Some fibers don’t lose color unless they’re exposed to a prolonged amount of light, meaning bright sun. Others hang around just fine outdoors but begin to lose life after several spin cycles in the washer. Often, it’s the specifics that dyers are interested in, depending on what they’re dying and how the item will be used. Then the question becomes “Is it lightfast or is it washfast?” For another wrinkle to the tale, a dye may be considered colorfast to someone who is using a textile that will rarely (if ever) see the bright, outside sun.

      When dyes (natural or synthetic) fade or disappear over time – either because of light exposure or being washed – they’re referred to as “fugitive.”

      Let’s just tackle all of this colorfast business, as well as other things worth discussing, with a true or false checklist.

      1. “Natural dyes aren’t colorfast.” True or false?

      That would be false. Yes, some plant dyes are fugitive – but not all of them. Due to substances such as natural tannins, many natural dyes are substantive, which means they stay put – no mordant necessary to fix the color to the fiber (see “Some Key Words” on p. xii). Walnut, for example, offers you staying power, as does madder, Osage-orange, onion skins, goldenrod, etc. Mordanting your fabric or fiber (more on mordants below) will go a long way toward getting color to stay put. Plus, the degree of fading has to do with which plant you use, as well as all of the other variables we talked about earlier.

      When