All posts by Kathryn Davey

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…