What Is Natural Dyeing?

Natural dyeing is the ancient practice of extracting colour from natural materials to naturally dye cloth or pure fibres. Dyes can be found in a variety of natural sources such as plants, invertebrates, lichen, fungi or minerals.

Where do natural dyes come from?

Natural dyes can be found in roots, bark, branches, leaves, seeds, nuts or the petals of delicate flowers. With each part taking more or less time to surrender its colour or natural dye!

When was natural dyeing discovered?

While we do not know exactly when our ancestors discovered that natural materials held forms of pigment, ink or dye. We see examples of natural pigments used as sources of natural colour in our earliest cave paintings. Before the discovery of synthetic dyes in 1856, natural dyes & pigments were our sole source of colour throughout history.

A Brief History Of Natural Dyes

Natural dyes coloured textiles for at least 6,000 years, with many vibrant examples of preserved textiles surviving. From the ancient world of colour, we have learnt much about previous civilisations and their relationship to the natural world. The Stockholm Papyrus, a manuscript compiled in Egypt & written in Greek, dates back to c.300AD. It illustrates the importance of the dyeing industry in ancient times & shows the development of our early dyeing history. Containing 154 recipes, it details how to create & apply dyes to textiles.

With the growth of our population, trade routes opened up & brought many new resources to far-off corners of the globe. With the expansion of these trade routes, natural dyes, once exclusive to specific locations, became shared around the world. Practised throughout Europe, Egypt, South America, Africa and Asia & amongst the native people of North America.

Why Did The Natural Dye Industry Decline?

Discovered by accident in 1856, synthetic dyes quickly replaced natural dyeing. Synthetic dyes were cheaper to develop and considerably less labour-intensive to produce. Because of this, synthetic dyes quickly became the main source of commercial dye. As these chemical dyes grew in popularity, the natural dyeing industry began to shrink and eventually collapse.

Where Can I Find Natural Dyes?

With the environmental impact of mass industrialisation/fast fashion becoming a reality, natural dyeing has become more important than ever. Natural colour is everywhere; the practice of applying these to the fibres of your life can soothe even the weariest soul. Dyes are present in certain plants, fruits, insects or minerals. Colour is present in an unlimited source of petals, twigs, branches, leaves, roots, bark, nuts and seeds. You can dye with everyday ingredients found in your kitchen. Tea, coffee, turmeric, avocado stones, yellow & red onion skins or pomegranate rinds are great for novice dyers. Dyes are growing in your garden, throughout your neighbourhood, in the fields, the forests, the mountains and beyond.

Interested in Learning More About Natural Dyeing?

Once you start looking for sources of natural colour, the abundance and choice will surprise you. Even in the depths of winter when the branches are bare, you can find sources of colour.

Explore specific natural dye sources

If you’d like to go deeper on individual plants and dyes, take a look at natural dyeing with Coreopsis, Buddleia, St John’s Wort, and Eucalyptus, or browse the full Journal for more.

Want to go further?

If you’re ready to go deeper, The Complete Natural Dye Course takes you from your first dye bath through to advanced, historic techniques, seven modules, entirely self-paced. Explore the course →

Kathryn x