The goal was to dye fabric with natural ingredients, all native to the state of Georgia, then create a quilt. The process began with little to no knowledge on my part. This approach, for any process, can be daunting. But I encourage everyone to do so in whatever their interest leads. It is amazing what one can learn just by starting from scratch, experimenting and letting the materials guide your next step. Here is the process I used make three natural dyes, dark brown, pink and mauve.
As mentioned above, all ingredients used for fabric dyeing were foraged or bought locally in Georgia. While I had hoped to find everything in nature that was just too difficult to accomplish in a reasonable time frame. Seeking what I could from its most natural setting turned up some wonderful discoveries.
Ingredients
Black walnut husks (Happened across a tree at the dog park with Ada. I collected only those on the ground, some in tact, some broken.)
Beets
100% Cotton muslin
Salt
Vinegar
Water
Old large pots (From the thrift store, if you're doing it right they'll be ruined by the end.)
Wooden spoons
Step One: Dye Baths
Black Walnut (dark brown dye)
Break apart husks from the nut in the middle. Intact black walnuts are similar to large wrinkled heavy limes (I started with about 15 in all). When the husk is broken it will oxidize and begin to turn dark brown, almost black. This is what you want. Make sure to wear gloves when working with the husks because they will dye your fingers. I did not keep any of the walnuts because most of them were past their prime. However, save them if they're still good - they have an acquired taste but can be eaten!
Once all the husks are separated, break them into smaller pieces and place in an old pot. Fill with water, just enough to cover the pieces. Bring this to a boil and simmer for two hours. Since I had no idea what I was doing I cooked the husks for a ridiculously long time, making sure that the water never got too low. Be cautious not to add too much water as this will dilute the dye.
I did not take to the smell of black walnut husks cooking, keep this in mind if you plan to cook while creating the dye.
Beets (pink dye)
Wash then peel regular old beets (about 10 medium sized ones will do). Discard peels and slice into quarter inch pieces. They will produce a lot of juice from the first cut, this is great! It will stain your hands (although not as bad as the black walnuts). Try to get as much of that juice into the dye bath. Place peeled and cut beets into an other old pot, fill with water just enough to cover the veggies then set to boiling for two hours.
Step two: Fabric Fixative Bath
Cotton Muslin
White 100% cotton muslin is simply beautiful fresh off the bolt but holds natural dye very well. (Always wash your fabric before beginning a project, I threw it in the washing machine and dryer to preempt any shrinkage.)
In order to keep natural dye on the fabric you should soak the cloth in a fixative before placing it in the dye bath. The fixative is simple, 1/4 cup vinegar to every cup of water. Depending on the amount of fabric you can increase the fixative bath. I used about four cups water and 1 cup vinegar for two yards of white muslin. Bring fixative to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer then add fabric.
