I want to attain some baby pinks much like the ones from avocado pits but the fruit is not available in my area. I made my madder dye bath alkaline and acidic but didnt achieve the results. Any tips or any subsitute you can share with me for avacados?
Thanks for your question on pink alternatives to avocado pits 💕 Here are some other options to consider that have brought about soft pinks in my studio, but please remember, results can vary due to so many different factors in the process: cochineal, sappanwood, brazilwood, aloe vera, red onion skin, Japanese maple leaves & hibiscus tea. Some of these will require a pH shift and many have their own challenges with fastness, but you can experience different shades of subdued pinks. How you work with them can impact the color and certainly your choice of fibers and mordant can also play a role. You might try madder root again at some point, but why not play around some of the ones above and see what magic you can create 😊 BTW, there is at least one or more videos on my channel on all of the dye sources above, so you can check those out for some examples. Have fun!
Thank you for your vdo. How do you keep the natural color (liquid) not the grow mold? I noticed that mine grow moldy after a few days or a week? Also I experienced color changing over time in the glass jars that I keep them. Please suggest.
You are most welcome 🌼 All of my exhaust baths will eventually grow mold, but I will just skim it from the top and strain it before using it again. You can add a whole clove or a few drops of wintergreen oil to dye to help deter mold growth. Personally, I don't worry about any color change that happens with my dyes because I welcome the differences that nature shares. However, keeping dyes in a cold, dark space may delay changes - no guarantees, but not a bad habit to practice.
Fantastic. I now have it on my head in a compress with sodium bicarbonate because I made the mahogany red one with the picramate which colors it a bright orange and now I have put the compress 100 grams of this with bicarbonate of soda to make them more cherry
How suuuuper fun! I have a mushroom bath from botanical colors going now. Unfortunately, when they sold out of the mushrooms they took down the instructions 😕 I'm really not getting great color after treating with alum. I was getting a bit stressed about it but hey... maybe it's time to say "whatever" and play. I was hoping for a copper and I'm getting a pale peach. I had some linen that I tried to modify after being in an avocado bath. I had folded the fiber to get a pretty shibori pattern but the color came out murky. I decided to toss that into the mushroom bath and now I am so happy that I salvaged it. I'm so inspired. I'm going to need more pots 🤭
Ahhh...the trials and tribulations of a natural dyer! I feel your pain 😉 I also bought mushrooms from BC, but won't have time to try until mych later this year. I'm sure you could always reach out to them for instructions but seems you are figuring things out. Keep exploring 🤎
I’m new to dyeing and always on the lookout for plants I can dye with. My cat died on Tuesday and on Wednesday I had a dream that he had left me something in the bushes that he sat in for his last week of life ( he was dying of cancer) And there it was - a Rubia Tinctorum (madder). I thought it was a Galium aparine (cleavers) at first. They look so similar. So now I will dye something in his honour with the Madder roots I harvested that he told me were there. ❤
This is such a sweet and tender story in the midst of the sorrow of losing your cherished cat - thank you for sharing ❤ I love how the universe gently points us to the beauty around us in her mysterious ways if we open our hearts. May the madder root bring about gorgeous shades that will be a living memory of your precious pet.
I have read that the yellow dye within madder can be removed (and used as a yellow dye) leaving a more vibrant red and less orange-ish color. Do you know about this? Also, I hope you will share your eco-printing with the madder root,
Thanks for tip about extracting yellow from madder. This is new to me 💛 I have not heard of this but will do some research. Would be fun to experiment! Yes, I have 2 videos about using the woody chips and madder root for eco-printing. They will publish end of July and early August 🙂
Great question, but I've never tried it as a hair dye. I suspect it would not work very well, but you can always give it a try. There are many different modifiers I've used in this video to increase the color range which hair might not like. If you do decide to try it, you might work with ground madder root or extract instead of the solid roots. Best of luck if you give it a go!
Great questions, Jo. I use the term 'simmer' because I don't actually use a thermometer to measure the temperature. In general, you never want to take a dye to a boil, so I try to keep it below that state. A slow and steady heat is best. You can find temperature guides for natural dyeing from many great resources on the internet. It lingers between 160 and 180 degrees F (70-80 degrees C) in many instances.
I love that I found this tutorial ❤ I make my own watercolors and wanted to see how I could pull the red madder root dye pigment to eventually extract, dry then create my watercolor . Red madder is a beautiful pink watercolor 😊
So happy you found us too - welcome to Color Quest 🌼 Fantastic that you are making your own natural watercolors! You might also try playing with the pH before you make your lake pigments (or even when you are painting) since madder root can be shifted this way. Have fun experimenting 🧡
I guess I need to buy some dye matter. Colors are marvelous! Especially yellow. So bring. Thx for great video. Today is "binge Margaret day"!!! I like to wait and watch a bunch of your videos at once. This is very exciting! Thx for video. Austin,TX USA
I'm so honored to have a binge day - thank you! I am a big fan of foraging for color to show how easily accessible natural color can be right from your environment, but the 'tried and true' natural dye matter like madder, cochineal, lac, indigo, etc. are pretty amazing to work with. You can see why these colors have been used in many traditional dye practices where vivid color and longevity are treasured 🤎
I am just making a dye bath with madder roots from Morocco. Jenny Dean suggests that to get brick red shades, you can steep the roods in hot water for a couple of minutes and pour this water off (use for another bath). I did that but the water was sooo red. Amy letting the cotton steep now, also making a madder blanket (not mordanted). It's still pink after abt 30 mins. Shall leave it over night and maybe reheat in the morning .... very excited. Thanks for the lovely colour shifts!
Sounds like awesome dye experiments happening in your studio, Andrea ❤ Thanks for sharing the tip from Jenny Dean - I will have to try that out some time. Did you capture some darker reds for your dye blanket? What wonderful plans do you have for that?
@@MargaretByrdColorQuest Well so far I have not actually got any darker reds for the dye blanket, which isn't mordanted, of course. But that may also be due to having put in too much fabric. I was impatient. Shall do another bath. The blanket is for a peace silk scarf that is to be eco-printed with my dye flowers and leaves.
@@andrealouchene6916 Hmmmm....a few thoughts I have: what fiber are you working with for your dye blanket? Is it possible that it needs to be better scoured or maybe replaced with a different piece of textile? Did you measure the madder root based on the W.O.F. percentages? Maybe you need to increase that percentage? As you know, there are so many factors that can impact a result, so best option is always to try again making adjustments. It is a time consuming hobby, but oh so worth it! Your silk scarf idea sounds lovely 💕
@@MargaretByrdColorQuest Thank you. Yes, it may also be a question of scouring. I am using very old cotton bed sheets that have been washed a thousand times. But maybe even these need a proper scouring. I am not too keen on scouring, but it could be the problem. Or maybe just a question of time - madder sometimes takes a long time, I was told...
