Things You'll Need:
- Plant and flower material: full-bloom flowers, roots, nuts, leaves, vegetables, ripe berries, bark and fruits
- Sharp knife or food processor
- Large old pan
- Salt or vinegar
- Bucket
- Wooden spoon
- Rubber gloves
- Sieve or colander
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Step 1
Gather plant and flower materials and put them into separate piles unless you want to blend all the colors together.
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Step 2
For each dye solution, chop all the materials into small pieces using a sharp knife or food processor. Place the chopped plants and flowers into an old pan.
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Step 3
Cover the plant material with double its volume in cold water. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and bring it to a boil on the stovetop.
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Step 4
Turn the heat down so the liquid simmers. Allow the mixture to simmer for about one hour, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
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Step 5
Strain the liquid from the solid material into an old bucket or basin through a sieve or colander. Press the solid materials with the back of your wooden spoon to get all of the dye solution out.
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Step 6
Use your solution to dye light-colored cotton, silk fabric or natural yarn. For berry dyes, simmer the fabric/yarn first in a solution of 1/2 cup of salt to 8 cups of cold water for about an hour. For plant dyes, simmer the fabric/yarn for an hour in 4 parts cold water to 1 part white vinegar. Soak the fabric in the dye solution in the bucket overnight, then rinse.
