Tannin as Dye

Tannin as Dye
Title
Tannin as Dye
Date
2021
Dimensions
28” x 84”
Media
Handwoven textile utilizing cotton and linen yarns. The fabric incorporates woven shibori resist. Mordanted and dyed using a selection of tannins.

Tannin dyes include (from left to right):

A tannin is an astringent, acidic plant material that gets its name from the fact it was used to “tan” leather and to make inks. Tannins can be found in the roots, barks, leaves, and nuts of many plants and trees. Some tannins impart no color to a textile and for that reason they are used in combination with alum to mordant cellulose textiles.

This study focuses on tannins that do yield a color and can be used as dyes on mordanted cellulose.

Tannins respond very strongly to an iron mordant. While the textile was still “gathered” in a shibori resist, each of the dyed textiles was dipped in a weak solution of ferrous acetate, which wicked into the gathered cloth, reacting with the tannins and darkening the color.