Dyeing with Rhubarb
Reblogged from Evelyn Oldroyd:
Left, 8/2 reeled silk mordanted; Centre, wool, no mordant; Right, wool, no mordant;
Rhubarb roots - 250 gm. , cleaned, chopped, covered with water, then simmered for an hour and left to cool overnight. Next day the dye bath was strained and one skein wool added, brought to a bare simmer for about an hour. I then left the dye bath sitting for about 10 days and was going to throw it out.
After taking a class called "Natural Dyes in the Kitchen" with natural dyes expert Isa I'm getting more and more interested in natural dyeing strictly with food products that are left over from consumption, like my favorite avocado skins. The idea of choosing between bodily nourishment and dyeing is always a hard one, I just want to eat those beets! So leftover plant material that would be composted really appeals to me as a sustainable and delicious source of dyes. I want to try rhubarb leaves because of their high tannic acid content which is great for celluose and plant fibers. While doing some research I found this lovely post by weaver Evelyn Oldroyd on rhubarb dyeing. So pretty! Must try soon.
