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Botanical Dyes: A seasonal guide to sustainable dyeing

Botanical Dyes: A seasonal guide to sustainable dyeing

September 28, 2024
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Aurélia Wolff, a renowned French textile designer and founder of WHOLE, shares her expertise in this transformative craft in her new book Botanical Dyes: A seasonal guide to sustainable dyeing. With a focus on sustainability and eco conscious design, Wolff guides readers through every step, ensuring that their dyeing journey is as beautiful as it is responsible.



We are excited to share a special preview from the book, Botanical Dyes: A Seasonal Guide to Sustainable Dyeing. One of Aurélia's personal favourites, this extract explores the art of dyeing with elderberries. Enjoy this insightful glimpse into sustainable dye practices!

Elderberries
Elderberries grow along roadsides throughout Europe. In the garden, they attract
birds and insects.



It is thought that elderberry has been used in the dyeing process since Neolithic times, as traces of its berries have been found in great numbers near sites where textile activities are known to have taken place, even though they are not edible.

Elderberry’s lacy flowers are used to decorate cakes as well as to make cordials, infusions and jams. Its berries are a very useful resource for dyers as they are one
of the richest sources of anthocyanins.

They can be used to produce a wide variety of subtle colours – from mauve to a tender green – but they are also very fugacious when exposed to light or detergent, turning grey when washed.

Elderberry will not necessarily be the right thing for colouring day-to-day items that need to be washed. This dye is better for samples and as a resource for easy experimentation and research.



Harvesting
Harvest the berries in late summer when they have reached maturity. Crush using a pestle and mortar.

Recipe
  • Divide around 300g (101⁄2oz) of berries between three containers: the first with
  • 1 litre of water plus 200ml (63⁄4fl oz) of vinegar; the second with a spoonful of salt; and a third with nothing added. These three preparations will give different results (see page 123).
  • Take each preparation and boil it separately for 1 hour.
  • Mordant the fibres with alum.
  • Soak your fabric in the separate, strained preparations. 
  • Leave each to cool in its bath before rinsing. Watch out: if you wash them with soap, the swatches will turn from dark green to dark grey.


Images courtesy of Aurélia Wolff 

Botanical Dyes: A seasonal guide to sustainable dyeing by Aurélia Wolff is out now at Search Press:
www.searchpress.com/book/9781800922136/botanical-dyes

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