Dye - Rosehip

Rosa Rugosa - (Dog Wood) Rosehips will dye tans to rosy pinks using iron as a mordant.

First soak the Rose Hips in hot water for several hours or overnight to soften. Bring to a simmer for 2 hours. Use alum mordant at 15% WOF for protein fibres. Mordant with tannin at 8% WOF and then alum at 15% for cellulose fibres. After soaking the Rose Hips,add the premordanted fibre to the dyebath and simmer for a further 2 hours. Remove from dyebath. Rinse fibres and dry. Dye solution may be used again.

Before 1856, Natural dyes were used intime honoured techniques (as far back as 1500BC) but once synthetic dyes were became commercially viable textile dyers and artisans moved from traditional natural dyes to synthetic dyes to colour their cloth and fibre. 

The Natural Dye range will dye any natural fibre using a handful of non-toxic mordants and additives to help fix the dye and also give you more colour variations. Natural dyeing is very much about reconnecting with the past - apart from using the plant materials you have at hand in your own garden, there are a number of traditional Natural Dyes and extracts including Indigo, Madder, Cochineal and Fustic.

By combining different dyes, mordants and depths of shade, you will produce an amazing palette of deep to subtle pastel colours. We hope you enjoy your Natural Dyeing adventure!