Weld (Reseda Luteola) dye is a renowned plant-based colourant with a rich history. Together with other natural sources such as Madder, Woad, and Dyer's Chamomile, it produces high-quality dyes suitable for temperate regions. In fact, the iconic medieval shades of Saxon green and Lincoln green were achieved by over-dyeing weld yellow with woad blue. Legend has it that Lincoln green was the preferred hue of Robin Hood's legendary band of outlaws. Reseda is often used to overdye blues, resulting in stunning and lively greens.

Colour fastness: excellent

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Recipe Downloadable PDF ~ Reseda

Basic Recipe:

100% Reseda

7% Soda Ash

Wool (mordanted with Alum)

Soak Reseda in Dye pot with Soda Ash overnight.

Bring to a simmer for 1 hour.

Strain through Cloth, put to the side.

Add wool to the dye pot and simmer gently for 1 hour.

*For a paler yellow add the dye bag to the 2nd bath and add the next lot of     mordanted yarn.

**The same bath can be used up to 3 times.

RHUBARB ROOT ~ Dye Colour depending on pH and mordant: yellow brown, green with iron and pink with Soda Ash.

Country of Collection: China

Rhubarb is a remarkable plant, known for its large size and delicious stalks and roots that can be used to create three beautiful colors. However, it is important to note that only the green and yellow shades will maintain their colour due to the high tannin content.

Colour fastness green and yellow: Good

Colour fastness pink to red: Poor

Ph sensitive - high Ph will turn colour to red
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Recipe for wool fibres: Downloadable PDF

Recipe for Plant Fibres: Downloadable PDF

Basic recipe:

100% cut Rhubarb or 50% ground Rhubarb
Wool (mordanted with Alum)

Optional:
3-5% Iron or
15% Soda Ash

Glossy Buckthorn Bark Organic ~ Dye colour yellow golden, pinks and reds. 

*Collected in the Wild of Bosnia

To achieve reds and pinks, the PH needs to be increased to 10-11 (alkaline).  Keep in mind to always use PH neutral soap with PH sensitive colours. This dye gives a good green when iron is added and was used traditionally to make artist paint.

Colourfastness: Good

Ph Sensitive Dye

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Basic Recipe: 

65g bark, soaked in water for 2 days. 
100g mordanted yarn/fibre (Alum 13g)

Bring pot with dye to simmer For 2h.  
Strain through cloth, add yarn/fibre and dye bag to dye bath for 1h.  
Rinse.

SAFFLOWER DYE ~ lovely soft yellow and red

*Grown and harvested in Iran 

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Plants are 30 to 150 cm (12 to 59 in) tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange, or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower is native to arid environments having seasonal rain. It grows a deep taproot which enables it to thrive in such environments. (wikipedia)

Safflower can give a lovely warm red, but it doesn't dye red on wool. First you have to knead the safflower in water for a long time, discarding the yellow dye regularly until the water turns red. It is a long process, but worth the effort. It will dye Linen, Cotton and other plant fibres.

Colourfastness: poor - medium
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Basic Recipe for yellow

100g dye, soaked in water overnight.
100g mordanted yarn/fibre (Alum 15g)

Bring pot with dye to simmer For 1h. Strain through cloth, add yarn/fibre and dye bag to dye bath for 1h. Rinse.

FUSTIC HARDWOOD DYE, Dyer's Mulberry ~ Dye Colour yellow and green

Fustic was introduced into Europe in the 16th century. It is a viable source of yellow, creating clear bright yellows to greens when overdyed with indigo. Made from the hardwood of Chlorophora or Morus tinctoria, this tree is part of the Mulberry family.

Fustic is extremely strong and only 25% of  dye (W.D.F) is needed. Once dyed, the wood chips can be dried and re used again another time.

Colourfastness: poor to medium

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Basic Recipe:

25% Fustic cut

10% Alum

Mordant yarn by dissolving Alum in hot water, add yarn and leave overnight.

Pour hot water over the woodchips and leave steeping overnight.

The next day:

Rinse mordanted yarn.

Strain dye and dry for another day.

Add yarn to dye bath, heat to 85C for 1hour.

Rinse and dry yarn.

*When using the dye again, boil it for 45min, the yellow will be darker.

**You can change the colour to olive green by adding 3% Iron.

*** Creates lovely clear greens when overdyed with Indigo

ORGANIC SAGE OFFICINALIS CUT ~ Dye Colour greenish yellow and green.

Country of Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fine for consumption

Salvia officinalis is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region. The plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.

Sage has been used since ancient times and can be eaten, used in herbal medicine and dyeing.

Sage can be used fresh and dry.

Colour fastness: Good - Excellent

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Sage recipe downloadable PDF

Also available as dye kit

Basic recipe:

100% Sage
3-5% Iron
Wool (mordanted with Alum)

HEATHER DYE ~ Dye Colour yellow and green

 Heather blooms in late Summer here in Ireland, covering our green hills in a blanket of purple, pink and white. Heather was traditionally used to dye wool and tweed yellow and green brown.

The Flowers by themselves will give clearer yellows and greens with Iron. The whole Heather plant, due to the tannin in the wood, creates deeper golden yellows and green browns with iron.

Colourfastness: Medium

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Basic Recipe:

100-200% Heather

10% Alum

Mordant yarn by dissolving Alum in hot water, add yarn and leave overnight.

Extract dye, by adding to pot and bring to 85C for one hour. Strain.

Rinse mordanted yarn.

Add yarn to dye bath, heat to 85C for 1hour or leave overnight for a deeper colour.

Rinse and dry yarn.

*You can change the colour to olive green by adding 3% Iron.

ORGANIC NETTLES ~ Used as herb and dye. Dye Colour yellow and green.

Country of Origin: Hungary

Urtica Fol. Organic, often known as common nettle, stinging nettle or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Originally native to Europe it has now spread worldwide.

Nettles have been used since ancient times and can be eaten, are used in herbal medicine and dyeing.

Nettles can be used fresh and dry - similar to Lovage, the best results are achieved with fresh plants, but dried plant material works well as well.

Colourfastness: medium

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Basic recipe:

100-200% Nettle (100% if using fresh only)
3-5% Iron
Wool (mordanted 10% Alum)

Line the pot with a cloth. Fill the pot half with water and add the nettle.
Bring to about 85-95 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Tie dye in Cloth and leave in bath.
Add wool and simmer gently for 1 hour.

Add 3% -5% iron to the dye bath to turn it green.

Remove after about 10min, rinse & dry.

BIRCH LEAVES DYE ORGANIC (Betula pendula) ~ Dye Colour yellow and green

A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae.

Colour fastness: Good

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Basic Recipe:

Alum (mordant) 15% D.W.F
Dry birch leaves 100-200% D.W.F

Soak the leaves for a day before using.

Boil the soaked leaves for one hour and drain. Add the alum to this solution and simmer the yarn for half to one hour.

*If the yarn is dried without rinsing and then placed in a weak birch ash lye, the colour becomes a reddish yellow.

**You can change the colour to green by adding 5% Iron.

Organic European Solidago ~ Dye Colour: yellow, orange and green

Our Solidago or Goldenrod in the common tongue, is organically grown and harvested in Europe, Poland.

Solidago, commonly called goldenrod, is a genus of about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world. (wikipedia)

Colourfastness: medium - good

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Basic Recipe for yellow:

100% Solidago
wool (Alum mordant 10%)

Soak the leaves for a day or overnight before using.
Boil the soaked leaves for one hour and drain.

Simmer yarn for up to one hour. Rinse and dry.

WHOLE POMEGRANATE FLOWERS ~ Dye Colour Yellow

Harvested in India, wild Collection

Wool, Silks, Cotton and Linen can be dyed with Pomegranate. It gives a darker yellow, depending on quantities used. 

*Also suitable for soap making and consumption
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Colourfastness: Poor

Basic Recipe for yellow:

Basic Recipe for orange/yellow:

100gr wool or silk mordanted in 10% Alum and for 1 hour. 

50-100g flowers

1.Soak flowers over night. 
2.Pour mixture through a cloth, tie off the flowers (dye bag) and keep in the dye bath. 

3.To dye: Simmer wool for one hour. Leave in dye bath to cool (will deepen the colour)

Rinse and dry

The birch tree, scientifically named Betula pendula, is a type of thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree found in the Betulaceae family. This family includes other types of trees such as alders, hazels, and hornbeams, and is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. When using birch bark (cut), be aware that the dye colour of pink, browns, and salmon, though very pretty, can have poor to medium colour fastness.

Colour fastness: poor - medium

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Basic Recipe:

Alum (mordant) 10-15% D.W.F
Birch Bark 100-200% D.W.F

Pour boiling water over the bark and steep for 24-48h

Boil the bark for two hours and strain. Add the mordanted yarn to the bath and leave until desired colour outcome or overnight.

*You can change the colour using iron, or other shifters like soda ash or citric acid

ROSEHIP SHELLS ORGANIC CUT OR GROUND ~ Dye Colour Yellow and Orange

Eastern Europe

Wool, Silks, Cotton and Linen can be dyed with Rosehip. It gives a light-yellow orange, depending on quantities used. 

*Also suitable for soap making and consumption
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Colourfastness: poor - medium

Basic Recipe for orange/yellow:

100gr wool or silk mordanted in 10% Alum and for 1 hour. 
200g Rosehip

1.Soak 100gr Rosehip overnight. 
2.Pour mixture through a cloth, tie off the Rosehip (dye bag) and keep in the dye bath. 

3.To dye: Simmer wool for one hour. Leave in dye bath to cool (will deepen the colour)

Rinse and dry

Experience the joy of working with our fully dried African Tagetes flowers, grown to organic standards and hand-collected and dried in Ireland, Co. Clare. These flowers are bursting with dye, perfect for colour extraction (but maybe not flower printing due to their bulky size). Limited availability, so don't miss out! 

African Tagetes (Tagetes erecta) Flowers in yellow and orange

Grown to organic standards

Hand collected and dried in Ireland, Co. Clare

25g = 15-20 flower heads

Colour fastness: poor to medium