Set of 5 Natural Pigments
Description
Go back in history, dye something the way they did back in the day. Natural Dyes generally give more muted tones on plant fibers like cotton and rayon, but are brilliant on wools and silks.
- Set of 5
- 30 grams each
- Alkanet, Henna, Cochineal, Madder Root, Osage Orange
Alkanet dye stuffs is made from the roots of Alkanna tinctoria, a member of the borage family. The root produces a red dye, alkannin, which has been used in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. Alkannin is soluble in alcohol, ether, and oils, but is insoluble in water, so the cut up roots should be soaked in alcohol to extract the most color.
Henna is well known as a natural hair dye but it also produces lovely reddish browns on fabric. The dye, lawsone or hennotannic acid, is a red-orange dye present in the leaves of the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis.
Cochineal is a tiny insect that lives on Cactus plants. It produces carminic acid as a defense against predators and it is this acid, when extracted from the insect, that makes the dye. It takes about 75,000 insects to make a pound of dye. Depending on the mordant used with it, it can produce vibrant red, scarlet, orange, and purple.
Madder comes from the roots of the Rubia cordifolia L. plant. It has been used since ancient times as a red and orange dye for leather, wool, cotton and silk. The roots contain the dye compounds alizarin and purpurin, which give red and yellow colors. By adjusting the pH of the dye bath it is possible to get shades of peachy coral to deep turkey red which madder is so famous for.
Osage Orange, Maclura Pomifera, is a shrub-like tree that is unrelated to citrus oranges and is native to the United States, mainly Texas. It produces a textured fruit that isn't popular for eating. The wood is used for woodworking. It is the heartwood, not the fruit, which produces a bright yellow dye that we can use on textiles.
- Set of 5
- 30 grams each
- Alkanet, Henna, Cochineal, Madder Root, Osage Orange
Alkanet dye stuffs is made from the roots of Alkanna tinctoria, a member of the borage family. The root produces a red dye, alkannin, which has been used in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. Alkannin is soluble in alcohol, ether, and oils, but is insoluble in water, so the cut up roots should be soaked in alcohol to extract the most color.
Henna is well known as a natural hair dye but it also produces lovely reddish browns on fabric. The dye, lawsone or hennotannic acid, is a red-orange dye present in the leaves of the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis.
Cochineal is a tiny insect that lives on Cactus plants. It produces carminic acid as a defense against predators and it is this acid, when extracted from the insect, that makes the dye. It takes about 75,000 insects to make a pound of dye. Depending on the mordant used with it, it can produce vibrant red, scarlet, orange, and purple.
Madder comes from the roots of the Rubia cordifolia L. plant. It has been used since ancient times as a red and orange dye for leather, wool, cotton and silk. The roots contain the dye compounds alizarin and purpurin, which give red and yellow colors. By adjusting the pH of the dye bath it is possible to get shades of peachy coral to deep turkey red which madder is so famous for.
Osage Orange, Maclura Pomifera, is a shrub-like tree that is unrelated to citrus oranges and is native to the United States, mainly Texas. It produces a textured fruit that isn't popular for eating. The wood is used for woodworking. It is the heartwood, not the fruit, which produces a bright yellow dye that we can use on textiles.