This summer was officially our wettest summer on record. With a season of grey skies, I was looking for summer & warmth anywhere I could find it. With the inescapable state of the weather and the depressing reality of climate change, I found myself drawn to all things bright & warm! Since working with the powder & coming to appreciate its dye potential, I have been cultivating & saving the flowers for my upcoming eco-print & steam-bundling workshop in September. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at how to dye with marigold.

As a dye plant:

If you take a trip to a garden centre in Ireland during the summer months, you will see marigolds everywhere. A common choice for gardeners due to its pest-repellent properties, it is often found around the borders of vegetable patches. As a natural dye plant, you can use the flowers & plant tops with colours ranging from butter, gold & yellow to orange. When modified with alum & iron, you can expect shades of olive-green. If you have access to the flowers, consider picking & drying them for use later on in the year or for eco-printing projects (see my previous post here).

You will need:

• Marigold plants or concentrated dye powder
• Dye pot
• Sieve
• Whisk (if using powder)
• Small bowl
• Water
• Wooden spoon
• Scoured & mordanted fibre or fabric

To dye with marigold flowers:

To make dye, you can work with flowers, plant tops or both. Snip the flowers from the stems, add to a pot of water then simmer gently for 1-2 hours. Once the liquid has changed colour & you have a nice strong dye to work with, strain out the plant parts & add your scoured and mordanted fibres to the dye pot.

How to dye with marigold flowers:

1. Add your marigolds to a pot & cover with water.
2. Place on the stove & add gentle heat.
3. Simmer for 1-2 hours or until the water changes colour.
4. Once you have a strong dye, strain out the plant parts.
5. Add your scoured & mordanted fibre and leave in the dye until you’re happy with the colour. If dyeing cotton, linen or plant fibre you can add your fibre to the pot. If dyeing animal fibre, allow the dye to cool completely then add your fibre.
6. Leave in the dye until you are happy with the colour, then remove from the dye, rinse & hang to dry.

To make a dye bath from marigold powder:

Dissolve your powder in a small container of hot water, whisk until all the powder has dissolved & no clumps remain. Add this to a pot of water then add your scoured & mordanted fibre, simmer gently until you are happy with the colour, remove, rinse & hang to dry.

1. Measure your fibre and take note of the weight.
2. Dissolve the powder in a small amount of hot water and whisk until all the clumps have dissolved.
3. Place on the stove & add gentle heat.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add your scoured & mordanted fibre. If dyeing cotton, linen or plant fibre you can add your fibre to the pot. If dyeing animal fibre, allow the dye to cool completely then add your fibre. You might need to wait until the next day for the dye to cool completely.
5. Leave in the dye until you are happy with the colour, then remove from the dye, rinse & hang to dry

How much should I use?

For strong colours, I recommend using 3-4 x the weight of raw plant material for your fibre, for every 100g of fibre use 300-400g of raw plant material. For paler shades, use equal parts of plant material to fibre. If working with marigold dye powder, for medium shades; I recommend using 1/2 tsp. for every 100g of fibre. For darker shades, use 1tsp. (or more) for every 100g of fibre.

Marigold is such a beautiful plant & flower to work with, you can use the dye & the petals work great for eco-printing. Let me know if you have dyed with marigolds before or if you’re curious to try, I would love to hear what you think of it or your experience working with it.