All posts by Kathryn Davey

In the last article, I spoke about expanding your colour palette by using modifiers to change the colours of natural dyes. One modifier that I am particularly fond of is Iron. Often described as saddening or dulling colours, it can be used to darker tones, changing yellow to green, beige to grey and pinks or…

Once you start to build your practice and confidence with natural dyeing, it can be incredibly exciting to expand the palette of colours available to you. When I first discovered modifiers, it was as if a whole new world of colour possibilities opened up to me. This can be done in many ways, using what…

There are so many similarities between natural dyeing and cooking. Just like every chef has their way of cooking, whether it’s by exact measurements or eyeballing, natural dyers have their own way of following recipes and creating colours with many ways to get to the same result. In the same way that some of us…

When we speak about natural dyeing, it is in reference to dyeing natural fibres of which there are two categories: Plant & Animal. Plant fibres are cellulose-based and cover anything that comes from a plant or the earth such as cotton, linen, hemp, nettle etc. Animal fibres are made of protein and include anything that…

When it comes to sharing the process of natural dyeing, I like to make it as simple as possible for those of you that are new to this. With that in mind, I have put together another tutorial for you, this time using yellow onion skins. The yellow onion, which is botanically classified as Allium…

One of the most wonderful things about working with natural dyes is learning about colour first hand. I am quite fortunate to be surrounded by colour in my work through dyes, powders, swatches and textiles. These parts that make up the picture of my work also feed and nourishes my soul. I don’t know much…

As we continue to stay in our homes in various stages of lockdown I have put together a simple tutorial for you on dyeing with avocado stones. Some of you may be familiar with this dye but for those of you who aren’t you might be surprised to know that avocados can give the most…

As many of us are in lockdown whether voluntarily or mandatory now is as good a time as any to distract ourselves with some simple projects. Considering that many of us can’t leave our homes & some of us may be feeling the economic pinch, this project is based on using food or food waste…

I mentioned in my previous articles that fabric needs to be cleaned or ” scoured ” in order for it to take up the dye effectively. I also mentioned that after the fabric is scoured it needs to be mordanted, which will increase the light & wash fastness of the dyes. Once your fabric has…

When working with natural dyes many dyes need an additional substance or mordant to help fix the dye to the fibre. Mordant comes from the french “mordre” to bite, a mordant will help the dye bite to the fabric or fibre. When people first start experimenting with plant dyes this step can often be overlooked…

When I first stated natural dyeing I found it daunting & somewhat intimidating. There was so much to learn and remember however over time I have come to see the simplicity in a process that first felt overwhelming. Just like anything when you break it up into small sizes it becomes much easier to grasp….

My journey into natural dyeing began from a place of curiosity, evolved into a passion (borderline addiction) and has become my livelihood. While living in California, I was exposed to an incredible creative community & began to explore natural dyeing. As blue was my favourite colour, I started with Indigo (a blue dye extracted from…