DIY: Make Natural Non Toxic Dye
This week I have been spending a good deal of time in the kitchen, cooking up natural dyes. I am actually surprised that after 7 years of art in college I had never learned to make paints, toxic or non toxic. But after reading Autumn’s post about how to make your own milk paint, I got to thinking even deeper into how to make pigments since the colored pigment can be as toxic as the binder. What I found out was a creative revelation that I can not stop cooking up! My personal criteria for creating pigment/dye is this:
- It cannot be toxic in any way, even if the substance is natural.
- It has to be in abundance and easily gathered in nature (don’t ever take so much that the plant can’t survive or make seeds.)
I totally hit the jack pot when I walked outside to find that my landlady next door has a plum tree with a gazillion plums that had already fallen to the ground and were being eaten by bugs, rotting, fermenting, gushy etc…
The natural organic dye experiment begins…
Supplies you’ll need to cook your brew:
- Water
- Salt or vinegar
- Cooking pot ( a spare that you don’t use for cooking food)
- Measure cup
- Strainer
- White, off white or light colored natural fabric (linen, organic cotton, wool and silk are best)
- Some sort of plant, flower, berry, root, bark, etc to dye with
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- SALT FIX: 1/2 CUP SALT TO 8 CUPS COLD WATER
- VINEGAR FIX: 4 PARTS COLD WATER TO 1 PART VINEGAR
I strained out the skins and returned the dye to the pot and then start dipping the locally woven organic cotton into the plum dye! How freakin’ awesome, cause it started turning almost hot pink right away and stuck right to the fabric. Then I let the fabric simmer lightly in the dye for a richer color for about an hour, all steamy, hot and sooooo pretty! 
I allowed the fabric to sit in the dye overnight to make sure it had the darkest outcome possible since when it is rinsed and dried the color will be alot lighter.
Isn’t it pretty in pink ?!? (Almost as pretty as Molly Ringwald but I like my naturally dyed fabric even better then her prom dress!) All that from a couple discarded plums, Yay! It’s really easier then it looks and the whole process was totally relaxing and fun- not to mention I felt like I was part scientist, part witch! There are fantastic lists of natural stuff you can use for dye in just about every cool shade of color you can imagine. Go to Pioneer Thinking for a complete list of plants, berries, nuts and bark that can make a rainbow of fun, safe colors. For even more pigments a simple google search for “make your own natural dye” turns up plenty a colorful brew waiting for you to experiment with.
Have you ever tried a natural or non toxic dying process? What has been your experience?
I am so excited I found this website… I have been trying to find organic dyes but they are extremely expensive! I was thinking about trying dying like this but i thought if the fabric was washed it would immediately wash out! but now i cannot wait to experiment with all of these! I have coffee and tea dyed fabric before but then the fabric cant be washed but maybe darker or fruit teas may set in better. I will definitely be writing more when after i experiment!
Hey Krystina!
Please please share what experiments you try and what works out- it will be great to learn all this together. My next experiment is going to be with all the fallen Hybiscus buds around my house!
[...] Silk offers many weights of natural Tussah silk, perfect for dying. If you want to spin your own silk, they also offer limited quantities of [...]
[...] Leslie here at Crafting A Green World had to go a little further (next door, to be precise) to come up with ingredients for making Natural Non Toxic Dye. [...]
I once stained crunched up cardstock with turmeric–just stuck it in a zip bag with a turmeric and water bath, squished it around, then set it in the sun to dry. Beautiful golden color and crumpled texture, and you can do a lot of cardstock with one bag’s worth of “dye.”
Okay, I gave it a go! I should’ve followed your timing a little more, but it still worked and best of all it was fun! Here are my results.
Bree- you totally rock! Your fabric looks great!!! I left mine soaking in the dye for a crazy amount of time - overnight maybe for 12 plus hours. It took patience to not take it out right away. I LOVE love love that you tried it on paper too!!! Everyone go check out Bree (commenter above)’s dye experiment.
We are now dye buddies! Yay!
Leslie, I tried it myself, see the results.
http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/2008/08/natural-dying-black-currants.html
Oh, and on the alum front. Most literature I found said that in the amounts you need it is non-toxic. But it wouldn’t say that it is entirely non-toxic. But after seeing the results right out of the dye it is quite tempting to try it…
does onion skins make a bright yellow? i need a neon yellow. i mean, just bright.
I have enjoyed reading all these types of dyes which were done. I am interested in finding out more natural dyes that are found here in Kenya. thanks for sharing the information.