I've been experimenting with natural dyes for the last few months with an increasing curiosity for the broad range of colors that can be found in nature. I used to think of natural dye colors as muddy and dull, and while you can get plenty of those, there are some fantastic hues that make all of my pink and yellow dreams come true! There is more on this subject to share than can fit in one blog post, so I'm sharing a brief overview of what you'll need to get started as you resist the urge to dye everything in your closet!
One of the reasons I love this medium is that even though there are general scientific guidelines that will ensure you get colors within certain ranges, each color experiment is dependent upon the kind of water you used, the freshness of your materials, the mordants you use or don't use, the type of fibers you are dyeing, the temperature of your dye pot, the length of time you allow it to sit, and whether or not it's the first, second, or fourth item in the dye pot. You can usually get a bright pink, red, and purple from the same cochineal dye pot!