Oak Gall - harvested from the wild in Turkey 

Oak Gall, also known as oak apple was and is still used for making ink. We use it as a fibre Mordant, due to its high tannin content. Unlike other tannin, it doesn't stain the fibre.  

Oak Gall is available as whole, cut or ground.

LOGWOOD ~ Available Cut or ground and as extract* 

(Bois de Campeche, Campeachy Wood) 

*Collected in the Wild (foraged) in Haiti

Logwood Dye is a natural, PH-sensitive product derived from wood found in Central America. This versatile dye is commonly used to produce vibrant blues and purples on wool, as well as deep blacks on both cotton and wool. It can also create a striking black and violet colour on silk. However, its colour fastness is considered to be poor by experienced dyers, leading to its classification as one of the Lesser Dyes. Logwood Dye is often used in combination with other dyes for black dyeing purposes.

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Basic Recipe: 

65g bark, soaked in water for 2 days.

100g mordanted yarn/fibre (Alum 10g)

 Bring pot with dye to simmer For 2h.

Strain through cloth, add yarn/fibre and dye bag to dye bath for 1h.

Rinse.

The logwood chips should be put in a bag and boiled for 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour, just before using or soak overnight, bring to the boil in the morning for 1h, strain and bind into bag.

* When using extract you only need to use 5-10% of the weight of your dry fabric. Logwood is one of the more excessive dyes - a little goes a long way - especially when using extract.

CATECHU DYE ~ Dye Colour Brown and Beige

This versatile dye, also known as Cutch, produces a stunning range of brown shades when used on cotton, silk, and wool fibers. It is composed of two dyes - catechu-tannic acid, which dissolves in cold water, and catechin, which requires hot water. Additionally, some experts claim that Catechu is beneficial for those with eczema, might be worth a shot! Catechu is an extract and will dissolve in the water. Full with tannins it will also dye without a mordant. 

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Basic Recipe

200gr wool (mordant optional see note below)

20gr of Cutch extract made into paste with boiling water (keep on adding, tends to be sticky)

Add to dye pot (hot water) and simmer, stir regularly; 
Add the wool and simmer for 1 hour, leave overnight. The longer, the deeper the colour of the dye.
Leave wool out to oxidize before rinsing.

*Several more skeins can be added later for lighter colours. Catechu is difficult to exhaust

**mordant wool with Alum for brighter results, but it will also dye a nice browns without any mordant.

***use Iron for darker results