In the sunshine of last summer, I started thinking about making a small series of quilts that would let the stitches be the focus and would show off my patterns in new ways. Instead of using my prints, I went in search of solid-colored fabrics that had to be special and complex. After sourcing the perfect linen/cotton blend, I began to look for a natural dyer. While there are many dye enthusiasts around, I needed someone who is methodical enough that they could develop colors that they could then reproduce (consistently). They also need to be able to be washed and dried. While this is no big deal when using synthetic dyes, it takes a lot of patience, skill and process when using plant stuff. I finally found a talented woman in Ithaca, New York and we spent the next few months mailing pictures and fabric swatches back and forth across the country.
The process started with me sending Erika, the dyer, some color swatches to give her an idea of what to aim for. She then sent me my first package of swatches:
Why are they hanging in my window? Natural dyes have a tendency to shift colors when exposed to sunlight. It's the reason a lot of old textiles seem to have bizarre color-combinations or tend to look muted: the colors that they began as, are not the colors that we see now. "Lightfastness is a property of a colourant such as dye or pigment that describes how resistant to fading it is when exposed to light." (Thanks, Wikipedia!) Obviously, I can't sell something that will quickly turn into something completely different when you get it home. Developing colors with good lightfastness was a necessity. So, here the swatches hang in my window, exposed to the California sun, being tested to see if (how) they shift,
After staring at the swatches for two weeks and seeing how the colors fared in the light, I sent Erika my notes. She was able to tweak some recipes here and there and send me another round of swatches that were much closer to the targets. While the ochre, purple and teal were cooperative, the chartreuse remained elusive. Bright greens are very difficult to create on cotton/linen and they are even harder to keep (the sunlight eats up their vibrancy quickly). I would put a swatch in the window that was the perfect color and by the next day, it would be something else entirely. Here, you can see the difference between the side that was facing the window versus the side that wasn't:
After staring at the swatches for two weeks and seeing how the colors fared in the light, I sent Erika my notes. She was able to tweak some recipes here and there and send me another round of swatches that were much closer to the targets. While the ochre, purple and teal were cooperative, the chartreuse remained elusive. Bright greens are very difficult to create on cotton/linen and they are even harder to keep (the sunlight eats up their vibrancy quickly). I would put a swatch in the window that was the perfect color and by the next day, it would be something else entirely. Here, you can see the difference between the side that was facing the window versus the side that wasn't:
The card I had put together of my swatches looked great, but it never sat in the sun.
In the end, I preferred having a vibrant yellow with good lightfastness rather than a chartreuse that shifted almost immediately. As you can see in the picture below, we settled on a true, sunshine yellow for the collection.
Meanwhile, after we agreed on the colors, Erika got going on dyeing the yardage. Below, are her process photos:
Erika also shared a little about all of the work that goes into creating lasting colors from plants:
Dye Ingredients:
Fabric is mordanted with aluminum acetate. The takeup is a very small percentage of the weight of the fabric. This is a metal salt that helps bond the dye to the cellulose fiber, and it is attached firmly to both.
Chalk, or calcium carbonate, assists some of the dyes in bonding to the fibers.
Phosphates from wheat bran help the dye penetrate. The fabric is washed several times after this step and there should be no allergen residuals.
In some cases soy protein may be used as a binder to protect the fabric.
Natural dyes are molecules that plants (and a few insects) use to defend themselves from light, insects, bacteria, fungus and other threats. Dye-producing plants overlap almost completely with plants used in
traditional medicine around the world. The dyes are responsive to environmental factors such as acids, bases, metals, and light. The color that is built from natural dyes is beautifully complex because each color results from a cocktail of different molecules.
All dyes used in this product are GOTS certified.
Dyes may include:
Indigo: A blue pigment produced in the leaves of over 200 species of plants. This indigo is from Indigofera spp. Indigo has anti-bacterial, anti-infective, and anti-inflammatory effects and is believed to ward off mosquitoes and snakes.
Madder: The root of Rubia tinctorium is the source of this dye, made up of over 20 different red, purple, yellow and brown components. It is in Ayurveda to pull calcium out of the bloodstream to prevent kidney stones. Madder also contains anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral components.
Weld: Reseda luteola is a plant that grows spikes of flowers from second-year rosettes. The dye chemical, luteolin, has been found to have a neuroprotective effect.
Fustic: Maclura tinctoria or dyer’s mulberry is a tropical tree. The wood gives browns to yellows. The bark is used medicinally.
Pomegranate: Punica granatum peel contains tannins and phenolics and is
touted for its anti-oxidant effects.
Himalayan rhubarb: Rheum emodi contains UV-protective flavonoids
Tannins from oak and chestnut trees: Anti-inflammatory and UV protective;
also used in the wine industry.
Dye Ingredients:
Fabric is mordanted with aluminum acetate. The takeup is a very small percentage of the weight of the fabric. This is a metal salt that helps bond the dye to the cellulose fiber, and it is attached firmly to both.
Chalk, or calcium carbonate, assists some of the dyes in bonding to the fibers.
Phosphates from wheat bran help the dye penetrate. The fabric is washed several times after this step and there should be no allergen residuals.
In some cases soy protein may be used as a binder to protect the fabric.
Natural dyes are molecules that plants (and a few insects) use to defend themselves from light, insects, bacteria, fungus and other threats. Dye-producing plants overlap almost completely with plants used in
traditional medicine around the world. The dyes are responsive to environmental factors such as acids, bases, metals, and light. The color that is built from natural dyes is beautifully complex because each color results from a cocktail of different molecules.
All dyes used in this product are GOTS certified.
Dyes may include:
Indigo: A blue pigment produced in the leaves of over 200 species of plants. This indigo is from Indigofera spp. Indigo has anti-bacterial, anti-infective, and anti-inflammatory effects and is believed to ward off mosquitoes and snakes.
Madder: The root of Rubia tinctorium is the source of this dye, made up of over 20 different red, purple, yellow and brown components. It is in Ayurveda to pull calcium out of the bloodstream to prevent kidney stones. Madder also contains anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral components.
Weld: Reseda luteola is a plant that grows spikes of flowers from second-year rosettes. The dye chemical, luteolin, has been found to have a neuroprotective effect.
Fustic: Maclura tinctoria or dyer’s mulberry is a tropical tree. The wood gives browns to yellows. The bark is used medicinally.
Pomegranate: Punica granatum peel contains tannins and phenolics and is
touted for its anti-oxidant effects.
Himalayan rhubarb: Rheum emodi contains UV-protective flavonoids
Tannins from oak and chestnut trees: Anti-inflammatory and UV protective;
also used in the wine industry.
These special quilts are available for special order and will be making their online debut December 10.