We learned to dye fibers naturally with plants a few years ago at the Griffin Dyeworks Dye & Fiber Retreat in Castaic, CA. What fun! Camping, pots 
of steaming dyes, people spinning and weaving, crocheting and knitting...kumihimo, lucet, Viking whipcord braiding, felting...fiber arts and fun! We definitely will be going to the retreat again this year (it's in May).Natural dyeing is a wonderful way to use 
what nature provides while creating
a rainbow of beautiful colors! We have dyed yarns, fiber and fabric with indigo, brazilwood, kamala, onion skins, berries, walnut shells, lichens, and more. During the 2007 retreat, we dyed a variety of our handspun and other wool yarns with natural dyes, brought them home, and then wove the yarns as a family into a beautiful table runner.
what nature provides while creating
a rainbow of beautiful colors! We have dyed yarns, fiber and fabric with indigo, brazilwood, kamala, onion skins, berries, walnut shells, lichens, and more. During the 2007 retreat, we dyed a variety of our handspun and other wool yarns with natural dyes, brought them home, and then wove the yarns as a family into a beautiful table runner. At home, we dye simply with herbs, plants, fruits and roots. This week, we d
yed silk play scarves, silk ribbon, silk cord and wool yarn with tumeric (vibrant yellow), brazilwood (orange), and blueberries (blue/indigo). The brazilwood batch was initially red, and then we added a bit of vinegar to set the color and the batch turned a lovely light orange! Sometimes the color surprises that occur are the most fun. The blueberries dyed very well this time. What a treat! We've decided to share some of our dyed objects in our Syrendell Etsy shop. The rest are either serving as capes or forts or
decorations around the house. 
yed silk play scarves, silk ribbon, silk cord and wool yarn with tumeric (vibrant yellow), brazilwood (orange), and blueberries (blue/indigo). The brazilwood batch was initially red, and then we added a bit of vinegar to set the color and the batch turned a lovely light orange! Sometimes the color surprises that occur are the most fun. The blueberries dyed very well this time. What a treat! We've decided to share some of our dyed objects in our Syrendell Etsy shop. The rest are either serving as capes or forts or
decorations around the house. 
5 comments:
I'll have to try this with my son. Looks like fun!
Good idea and beatiful colors!!, I love the music in your blog too, thanks
I love the idea of doing a study of natural dyes with Booh. It looks like your family had a lot of fun!
We have done the natural dyes too....pokeweed is our favorite!!! We use them to dye the easter eggs as well. I love the blog. Keep up the good work.
Any chance you'll be following this up with tips for trying this at home? I want to dye play silks with my daughter as part of our China unit, but all the tutorials on the web use Kool Aid! I'd love to try some more natural dyes found around the home (blueberries, turmeric, etc.), but haven't found much to help a homeschooling mom yet!
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