A Workshop in Eco-Dyeing
Introduction
The dyeing phase of the River & Cloth project will focus on obtaining colour from natural
materials. The aim of the project is to extract colours from natural materials using a
variety of techniques. This worksheet gives information about the extraction of colour
using eco-dyeing techniques, a method discovered by Textile Artist India Flint. The River
& Cloth dyeing workshop plans include solar dyeing, hapa-zome and ice-flower dyeing
techniques also discovered by India Flint.
Facts
Until the late 19th century all dyes were sourced from nature, either vegetable or living
creatures.
The second half of the 19th century saw the introduction of synthetic !coal tar" dyes. These
were easy to use and produced bright and vibrant colours. Most textile producers moved
exclusively to the new synthetic dyes and this lead to the loss of knowledge and skills in
natural dyeing techniques. William Morris was one exception - he continued to use the
traditional natural dyes. He preferred their colours and the beautiful soft tones produced
when they began to fade.
Current conventional dyeing processes are very polluting to the environment, so much so
that the manufacture and use of synthetics dyes are two of the world"s most polluting
industries. Fabric can retain approximately 80% of a conventional dye; the remaining 20%
is flushed out of the fabric in the waste water. Sometimes this dye enters our rivers and
streams along with the salt & other chemicals used to fix the dye to the cloth. The waste
can be damaging to the river habitat and the fish/wildlife that live in and near the river. It
also makes the rivers look horrible.
There are stories from the past of the Wandle turning red when the waste madder dye was
discharged into the river.
Workshop Plan for eco-dyeing exercise
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The dyeing process consumes large quantities of water. On average it takes approx 20
litres of water to dye one t-shirt.
As well as damaging the environment, conventional dyes present extreme health risks to
those working with them.
In River & Cloth are going to use natural dyes such as those made from flowers & plants
rather than synthetic dyes. These dye products will biodegrade, are ecologically sound and
safe for our environment. We are going to use very small amounts of plant materials to dye
and will use very little water, energy & chemicals which are safe to our environment. The
technique we will use is called eco-dyeing.
Materials Required:
o A range of plants, vegetables and flowers for natural dyes - see the Fact Sheet on
Plants and Colour for ideas of what can be used
o A selection of found metal objects such as old rusty iron nails & screws, old copper
or brass washers, coins or keys, tin & aluminium cans etc. The rustier and the more
oxidised the better!
o 1 Domestic steamer
o Wool and silk fabrics – such as Wool delaine, Habotai silk (heavy), Calico (light) –
approximately 0.1 metre of each per person
o Alum
o Cream of tartar
o Old light coloured clothing made from natural fibres (e.g. cotton, linen, wool or silk)
o String or rubber bands
o Water
Health & Safety Precautions
Rubber gloves and aprons should be worn whenever dyes are being handled.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) sheets will be prepared/held for all
chemicals used.
Preparation
For this exercise, the fabric used should be pre-mordanted prior to the workshop. A
mordant means literally !to bite" and is the chemical link that opens up the fibres of the
cloth and allows the material to absorb the dye colour. If your workshop is being
supported by River & Cloth, then the lead artist will pre-mordant the material for you. If not
and you are doing this for the first time, the easiest and safest mordant to use is Alum with
cream of tartar - a double sulphate of aluminium and potassium with astringent properties.
Please see the Fact Sheet on Mordants, which explains how to mordant.
Tear the fabrics into strips so that each participant has two pieces each - one of silk and
one of wool.
Workshop plan devised by Viv Philpot, February 2009 and based on techniques described or
developed by India Flint and detailed in Eco Colour (c) India Flint and published by Murdoch Books,
2008. Further information on India Flint can also be found at http://www.indiaflint.com/
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Workshop Plan for eco-dyeing exercise
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Duration
Approximately 1 hour.
Activity
The display of plants and found metals is used as a starting point for a discussion about
the colouring of cloth using natural and synthetic dyestuffs. For discussion ideas refer to
the facts section on page one of this workshop plan, and also refer to Fact Sheets on
Growing Plants for Dyeing and Plants and Colour.
Note: Natural dyeing is unpredictable. The same dyestuff e.g. blackberry leaves, will
produce different results depending on the time of year the leaves are picked, where the
plant is growing, how much rain has fallen while it was growing etc. The examples shown
on the Plants & Colour sheet are for guidance only.
Step One:
Participants select the plant materials and found metals they wish to test. The materials
selected are laid out on the fabric or old clothing. For comparison, try working with two
pieces of fabric - pre-wetting one and keeping the other one dry before you lay out the
materials upon them - water can enable the dye to create different patterns and take to
the fabric differently. Also experiment with the number of metals used.
Workshop plan devised by Viv Philpot, February 2009 and based on techniques described or
developed by India Flint and detailed in Eco Colour (c) India Flint and published by Murdoch Books,
2008. Further information on India Flint can also be found at http://www.indiaflint.com/
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Workshop Plan for eco-dyeing exercise
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One you have laid out your materials, wrap them in the fabric to create a !bundle" and
secure with string or rubber bands. If you are working with a large group ask them to tie or
sew on a different coloured button to be able to identify their bundle at the end of the
process.
Step Two:
The bundle is placed in the steamer and steamed for 60 minutes. Whilst it is in the
steamer, participants can complete the eco-dyeing record sheet listing the types of
materials used.
Step Three:
Once removed from the steamer, the bundles should be left to cool and for the best results
- ideally overnight, before opening. Unwrap the bundle to discover what your dye
experiment has produced, dispose of the plant dye materials and retain the found metals
to reuse in future experiments.
Ask participants to record the final results on the eco-dyeing record sheet.
Workshop plan devised by Viv Philpot, February 2009 and based on techniques described or
developed by India Flint and detailed in Eco Colour (c) India Flint and published by Murdoch Books,
2008. Further information on India Flint can also be found at http://www.indiaflint.com/
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