How To: Dye With Natural Elements

Color Wheel Dyed on Wool with Acid Dye

One of the biggest problems with textiles is obviously the pollution that comes from the growing, weaving, and dying process associated with creating fabrics. There are many ways to cut back on the huge amount of waste created. Using organically grown or raised fibers is a huge step, especially with cotton. The large amounts of nitrogen based fertilizer used in regular cotton production is well-known to be a big contributing factor to the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. At home choose organic or natural dyes is a big step in the right direction. It is definitely possible to get beautiful rich colors using minerals, plants, and even insects as dyeing material.

How To: Silk Dupioni Herbal Sachet

Beautiful hand-made herb sachet have tons of uses, and are really easy to make.
Whether your tucking it into your pillow at night to help you fall asleep, or putting it into your dresser to keep everything smelling fresh, they are an easy way to scent your home without using any chemicals. For this herb sachet I used my own organically grown lavender and rosemary, both were thoroughly dried, cleaned, and all the stems, branches, and leaves were removed before being stuffed into the sachet.

How to make the Silk Dupioni Herbal Sachet:

Burn Testing

I love working with great yarns and thread, and finding them in vintage shops or online can be wonderful. Unfortunately every once in a while when you do find a treasure it isn’t labeled. Knowing what you’re working with is always the first step when starting a fiber project. Following this simple chart will help you determine just what type of material you have and what you can do with it.