Colors: orange to warm yellow – flowers, greenish-yellow – plant tops, leaves deep forest green, over-dyed with a light indigo – khaki green – iron modifier after dyeing
Mordant: for cellulose (plant source like cotton, linen, hemp) – 8% WOF* clear tannin, like gallnuts and 15% WOF potassium alum; for protein (animal source like wool, alpaca, silk) – 15% WOF alum
Rinse after mordanting
Amount of plant: 1:1 (equal weight of plant material to WOF, weight of fiber) In the garden: regular watering and dead-heading these splashy annuals keep the blooms coming from spring to fall throughout most of Santa Cruz County. They do equally well in pots on the patio or planted in the ground in a sunny location, and produce seeds that can be saved to grow next years’ crop.
To collect: I either add faded blooms to plastic bag in the freezer until there are enough for a dye pot or dry the flower heads and store for later use.
Method:
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If using dry flowers, soak in water for a few hours before following the directions below. If using fresh or frozen, cover with tap water and simmer at 170℉-180ºF for one hour. Soak fiber/fabric in warm water until thoroughly wet.
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Strain out plant material and compost.
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Enter wet, mordanted fiber or fabric and simmer for an hour at 170℉-180ºF.
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Remove pot from heat and allow fiber to cool in dye overnight.
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Remove fiber, squeeze out and air dry without rinsing. Allow dye to mature on fiber for two weeks or longer before washing gently in a pH neutral soap and lukewarm water.
*WOF = weight of fiber