Wool and silk are great fibres to colour with natural dyes. They seem to attach to a wider variety of dye chemicals than cellulose fibres such as cotton.
The two types of plant dyes that we experimented with were Substantive and Adjective dyes. Substantive dyes, require no mordants like the eucalyptus leaves; and Adjective dyes require auxiliary substances to become attached to the fibre ie. the parsley needed copper sulphate to fix the colour.
The length of the boiling time depended on the plant matter; berries and flowers needed little time but the leaves, roots and bark required soaking and boiling overnight.
Cotton is less suitable for many natural dyes.
The two types of plant dyes that we experimented with were Substantive and Adjective dyes. Substantive dyes, require no mordants like the eucalyptus leaves; and Adjective dyes require auxiliary substances to become attached to the fibre ie. the parsley needed copper sulphate to fix the colour.
The length of the boiling time depended on the plant matter; berries and flowers needed little time but the leaves, roots and bark required soaking and boiling overnight.
Cotton is less suitable for many natural dyes.
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