Clothing ourselves beautifully
Often when I think about a natural dyer’s garden, I think in terms of colors for the dye vat. Sometimes, I think in terms of garden beauty, ease of cultivation, or hardiness for my zone. But, I hadn’t thought of creating a bee friendly dyer’s garden to help save the bees, particularly the wild varieties. […]
Happy Summer (almost fall)! While I’m normally a winter knitter, I’ve had to pull out the needles to give my hands something to do. So, I decided it was time to work on my 2nd sweater. Yep, I think I may be addicted to knitting sweaters now… oopsies. I like this particular sweater technique because, […]
Woad is one of the most amazing plants. Not only because of its dye content, but its herbal abilities, and its ability to thrive even in face of sub-prime growing conditions like marginal soils and summer frost. At the same time, many people do not want woad to grow or thrive in their areas. Termed […]
Today is the shortest day of the year, and it’s socked in snowing here. While the darkness and dimness is a challenge, even with the white coating on the ground, it is this time of year that makes my thoughts turn to spring. And spring means it’s time for natural dye gardens! Natural dye gardens […]
Almost any natural dye book will tell you what the common natural dye plants are, what colors you can get from them, and the method to employ to do so. However, no matter how well-tested a method you use, it will nearly always need to be adapted to your water and fiber to get the […]
Some of the most enjoyable times I have spent with natural dyes, was when I was teaching adults and families how to successfully use natural dyes. Many families have children of varying ages, and it can be a challenge to decide what natural dyes are safest, and most enjoyable, for all present. For myself, I […]
