Scatter plant materials all over a pre-wetted (and treated with mordant) piece of fabric to make an eco-dyed scarf.Homegrown botanical dyes are in, part of today’s shift toward more natural and organic living.
And you don’t need a degree in chemistry to create your own hues for scarves, sweaters or even Easter eggs.
All it takes is a garden plot or a few pots and a kitchen.
“If you’re already gardening or already even have a landscape, you can look out your window and you can use the things that are there, that you’re already growing, for a dyer’s garden,” says Chris McLaughlin, a gardener in Placerville, Calif., and author of the new book “A Garden to Dye For: How to Use Plants from the Garden to Create Natural Colors for Fabrics and Fibers” (St. Lynn’s Press).
WHERE TO START?
If you’re planting a new dye garden, McLaughlin’s book contains several different garden plans. An edible dye garden, for example, might be best if you have limited space and can’t justify giving up square footage for anything other than fruits and veggies. Suggested plants include carrots, bee balm, rosemary, purple basil, red onions, chamomile, beets, blueberries, red cabbage and marjoram.