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Below is a list of common plants and botanicals that you can gather / buy / forage for and save up for dyeing. It's best to let these items dry out completely, then store them in a jar. If you are finding juicy berries like elder berries, it's best to dye them fresh, or save them in a plastic bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them. With flowers, I lay them out on a tray to dry, then store them at room tempurature out of direct sunlight and they will keep for years.  SNAPDRAGONS HIBISCUS PRIVET...

Today... Hang your fabric, unwashed, out of direct sunlight and let it cure for 1 day (longer is fine). Tomorrow or the next day... Gently hand wash your fabric in cold water with gentle soap and hang dry. Ironing works great to flatten it out once dry. Care... Natural dyes will last longest when washed in cold water with gentle soap. Washing machine on gentle is fine, or hand wash. Dryer ok.  Softer with time... Because we stripped our cotton to dye it, it’s raw now and will naturally get softer again with wear from our hands and natural body...

Mordanting is an essential step to prepare your fabric to hold on to the pigment you expose it to. There are many ways to mordant fabric because there are a number of different chemical process that work. Plants with high tannin content can act as a natural mordant, but will usually impart a color to the fabric as well. The process I include below is a two step process. I use a recipe I learned from Botanicalcolors.com and I feel that this process gives me very vibrant dye results with long lasting color. You can also purchase mordants from their...

Scouring cotton before dyeing with botanicals is an essential step. Before dyeing and mordanting you must scour away any build up that's within the cotton fibers. Whether it's a new cotton shirt that most likely has an artificial/chemical layer for softness or an old t shirt that picks up your own body oils, these particles need to be scrubbed away so that plant pigments can get into the cotton fibers.  This process is just for cotton items, it can be used on hemp as well, but not for silk, wool, or any protein based fiber. Because you are boiling your...