Vibrant reds through to eye popping fuchsias are readily achievable with Cochineal Dye Extract on Alum mordanted wool, silk and all other protein fibres. Add Cream of Tartar to help shift colours to a true red.
The cactus munching Cochineal insect has been carefully harvested, dried and crushed to extract the desirable red dye colour for over a thousand years. It takes 70,000 insects to make just under half a kilogram of the precious dye. Once the sole domain of Kings, Queens and the military – Carmine; Crimson Lake; Scarlet has become available to the masses through the development of synthetic dyes.
These natural dye extracts dissolve easily in water. Make powder (a little goes a long way) into a paste with a small amount of warm water, and stir into a pan of water. Introduce your damp pre-mordanted fibre and bring the liquor to a simmer. Maintain the temperature for 45-60 minutes, stirring gently at intervals. Remove from heat and allow to cool over night before squeezing out the dye solution and rinsing in cold water until clear.
Colours from different dye extracts can be mixed together to achieve different colours. Keep records of your recipes and results to ensure you are able to repeat colours easily. To use for painting, screen printing and block printing, ensure fabrics are mordanted and the dye extract is thickened with the appropriate medium.
This is a non-hazardous product. May cause irritation to eyes, skin, by inhalation or if ingested. Normal safety measures should be observed.
A number of factors will determine the strength of colour and shade obtained from these natural dye extracts. These include the length of time the fibre is allowed to soak in the dyebath, the pH level of the water, and whether the water is hard or soft. A further factor is the type of fibre to be dyed; cotton and other cellulose will require either a tannin mordant or Aluminium Lactate, while wool, silk and other proteins will require Alum only.
On average 5g of natural dye extract will give a strong colour on 50g of fibre and a lighter colour on 100g of fibre.
Additional colours can be achieved by experimenting with mordants; the Fibrecrafts Mordant Pack includes 250g Alum, 50g Iron, 50g Copper, and 10g Tin, plus 100g Cream of Tartar to get you started. We recommended note keeping to enable the reproduction of successful colour results.
