u/Meanneighborlady

I was looking at some things regarding alder cone dye for printing pigment and ran across a brief post about using salt to preserve the blues, purples, pinks you initially get in dyes from berries which are otherwise short-lived. Has anyone tried this? I know the berries that get on a white t-shirt I like to wear have NO PROBLEM staying in perpetuity, but it does fade to a blue gray when intentionally used for dye. I wondered if anyone had experience using salt as a way to preserve the colors. Edited to ad, besides alum. I've already mordanted the cotton in tannin and titanium oxalate.

Later this month, I have 90 minutes to do a natural plant dye workshop with participants so we are going to create several pots of dye, mix it in the blender with guar gum and let participants spray it on pre-mordanted bandanas and some thick cotton aprons if they so choose. We'll heat set with an iron if we aren't overrun with folks. If we are, we'll just have them heat set them at home.

We've collected fruits from Oregon grape, some cascara buckthorn fruits, blackberries, Sitka willow leaves, shedded bark from Sycamore Trees, alder bark (outer and inner layer) and Bracken Fern. Closer to the event we will process branches from the Oregon grape but not roots.

The bandanas and aprons were mordanted in a tannin bath first (bracken fern) rinsed, and then mordanted in Titanium oxalate. The tannin bath was slightly different for each bath of the aprons and some were a pretty nice orange, others were a softer shade reflecting the tannin. Anything that does a great eco print outline is a good tannin to use if you don't want to use tea or purchase tannic acid. Twigs and branches of any tree would do well for the tannin bath on plant based fibers.

https://preview.redd.it/zeqb1thngvhh1.jpg?width=2295&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07bc5fb70df2d9257ec4b95e277ef35ff6a4c5ad

This is the sample dye on mordanted wool. Left is Cascara buckthorn fruits alum and iron. Right is tansy ragwort alum and iron. Pre mordanted wool courtesy of a colleague.

https://preview.redd.it/n6kjw9lvhvhh1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dabcc230c7d84217e519701261eb1305f66c65b6

Heavy textured cotton apron, mordant in tannin (used bracken fern) rinsed, then 2nd mordant in titanium oxylate = orange. Subsequent batches were different shades of the same depending on strength of the tannin bath. When we have the program, folks will spray on plant dyes of their choice onto the surface and we will heat set with an iron. Because of the depth of the orange, the darker colors from berries and sitka willow + iron will show up best. I might get a good strong yellow from the branches of oregon grape (don't want to dig up a plants roots in the dry season).