Exploring natural dyes and lake pigments in England and Finland
Natural dyes and pigments produce vibrantly beautiful colours in unique, varied shades and interact with the chosen fibre to which they are applied. As we steer away from synthetic dyes (introduced commercially in 1845) for our planet’s good, resources are becoming plentiful to teach us how to extract these colours naturally and apply them to fibres.
The colour sources of the samples below were found in our garden (cherry tree bark, sloes, lavender) food waste (rooibos tea, avocado pits) and veggie patch (such as carrot tops) in Walsingham, England.
Organic linen, muslin and bamboo silk were used with either alum as a mordant to bond the colour, or the fabric was soaked with soy beforehand to bind the colour when dyed.
Recently, I made lake pigments from natural colour sources using different recipes in Finland. This process converts water-soluble dye into an insoluble pigment that can be mixed with a binding medium to make many different kinds of paint. The process feels magical!
