Experimenting with Natural Dye

We’ve been experimenting with natural dye lately. We were testing out whatever we had on hand to see what colour might come through. It’s not exact science, but that’s half the fun.

This round we used:

• Passionfruit skins

• Blackboy peach flesh

• Banana leaf

• Fig leaf

• Peach leaves

• Paru (iron-rich mud)

• Korari (flax stalk)

Some things surprised us, like how subtle the fig leaf was, or how the paru still had its dye qualities after being stored for years in a bucket. The blackboy peach gave off this soft pink tone, similar to the passionfruit skin. We didn’t mordant anything this time, just boiled it up and soaked samples of muka to see what happened.

It’s not about perfect results. It’s about noticing what’s possible with what’s around you.

We’ll keep playing and recording what works, what fades, and what we want to try next. Might even try layering colours or adding mordants next time to push the tones further. As well as experiment with changing the pH of each dye to see if it changes the colours using additives like rusty nail water, lemon juice and ash water.

What natural colours are hiding in your garden? Give it a go and let us know your results!