To Dye For.. purple basil and mint

This week I experimented with herbs as my source for natural dyes.  I had read that different herbs produced different colors so I thought I would give it a try.  At my local farmers market I found purple basil and mint and decided that was a good start.  Just like most natural dyes the plant material needs to be chopped up and simmered for 20 to 30 minutes.  After I added the chopped herbs to the pot I realized that it would be a good idea to contain them in a cheese cloth. Oh well, maybe next time.

Purple Basil.

Mint.

As the herbs simmered I cut my samples.  I love seeing how the dye reacts to different materials.  Most of these samples are cotton but some are blends.  The instructions say to presoak the fabrics but I never do, I will have to experiment in the future to see if it makes a difference.  Most people presoak in soda ash.

I made four sets of samples for the two dyes. Half way through I took out one of the samples out of each bath and added a mordant, alum, to see its effect on the dye. 

The final results produced a very subtle color. I really enjoy these soft colors, but it just depends on the application of the color. Not everything needs to be bold, and I'm a sucker for subtle shades of gray.

As you can see, the alum made a difference in the purple basil dye, enriching the purple. It's remarkable the similarities between the rest of the dyes. I would be interested the results in mixing herbs in the same pot to see what colors emerged.

Be Inspired. Be Bold. Be Natural.

peace &love

Rebecca