Natural Dye: A Collection

After a number of years experimenting with natural dyes, developing and refining good practices, and dyeing small samples, it was very important for me to apply that knowledge to a body of my own woven work. This collection is the fruit of that application.

In the process of creating this body of work, I learned many lessons and enhanced my skills as a dyer through:

• Better control of indigo blues from very pale to very dark - and how that actually relates to the indigo vats being used.
• Smooth transitions from one dye hue to another, using both formulas and “the eye”.
• The creation of a full palette of color using a minimum number dyes - and always using the best dyes for colorfastness.
• Defining “black” and how to achieve it.
• Working with tannin dyes are also good sources of color.

Along with images of the work, I have also included some of the thought process involved in creating them, as well as a few actual formulas that were used to accomplish them.