Thoroughly wash the wool before dyeing, as it will not be receptive to the mordant or dye if dirt is present. Avoid matting the wool. The coarser the wool, the hotter the water should be (use soap). Rinse in plenty of water of the same temperature to avoid shrinkage. Gently squeeze, roll in a towel and hang in the shade to dry is storing. It can be mordanted while damp.
Equipment
- Enamel/stainless steel saucepans are recommended. However, as you cannot use the equipment again for food preparation, we use tins from fruit juices for mordanting and dyeing
- Tubs for washing and rinsing
- Scales and measures
- Strainers
- Gloves
- A shaded clothes line
Mordanting
Many natural dyes will fade unless the yarn has been treated with a chemical to help fix the colour. This process is called mordanting. The chemicals we use are:
| Alum | 120g (5 tblspns) alum (potassium aluminium sulphate)
30g (1 1/2 tblspns) cream of tartar
18 litres water
500g wool |
| Iron | 15g (3 tblspns) iron (ferrous sulphate)
30g (1 and 1/2 tblspns) cream of tartar
18 litres water
500g wool |
| Copper | 15g (2tblspns) copper (copper sulphate)
18 litres water
500g wool |
Methods of Mordanting
- Alum - Dissolve alum and cream of tartar in a little hot water and add to 18 litres of water. Place damp wool in and gradually bring to boil. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally - add water if evaporation occurs. Cool and allow to stand overnight. Rinse wool before placing in dyebath.
- Iron - Mix iron and cream of tartar in cold water, add to 18 litres of water, then slowly bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes, cool. Add damp wool, reheat and simmer 10 minutes, then rinse.
- Copper - As for iron, but with no cream of tartar.
Dyeing
Prepare the dyebath by crumbling dried leaves and placing in a saucepan with water. Turn from time to time. The next day, bring contents slowly to the boil and simmer for an hour or more, for best results. Strain, add water to required amount (as shown in the table below), then add dampened, mordanted wool. Simmer for 20 minutes for alum, 10 minutes for copper and iron. Vary times for a wide range of colours. Remove wool and rinse in water of the same temperature. Hang in the shade to dry.
Required amounts of dyeing materials
| Water | Dye Material
(dried leaves) | Mordanted Wool |
|---|
| 1 litre | 50g | 25g |
| 9-10 litre | 500g | 250g |
| 18-20 litre | 1kg | 500g |
The more dye material, the richer the tones. For example:
- 2-4 parts dye material to 1 part wool gives yellow tones
- 4-10 parts dye material to 1 part wool gives orange tones
- 10-16 parts dye material to 1 part wool gives red tones.
Dye colours obtained from North Queensland Eucalypts
| Species | Mordant | Dye Colour |
|---|
| Corymbia abergiana* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Beige
Olive green
Grey |
| Eucalyptus acmenoides | Alum
Copper
Iron | Orange (pale)
Light brown
Dark brown |
| Eucalyptus alba | Alum
Copper
Iron | Yellow
Olive green
Grey |
| Corymbia citriodora* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Yellow (pale)
Olive green
Grey-brown |
| Eucalyptus leptophleba | Alum
Copper
Iron | Apricot
Light brown
Dark grey |
| Eucalyptus pellita | Alum
Copper
Iron | Yellow-beige
Olive green
Dark grey |
| Corymbia peltata* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Yellow
Light brown
Dark grey |
| Corymbia polycarpa* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Green-yellow
Olive green
Grey-green |
| Eucalyptus tereticornis | Alum
Copper
Iron | Yellow
Olive green
Grey |
| Corymbia tesselaris* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Bright yellow
Olive green
Grey |
| Eucalyptus tetradonta | Alum
Copper
Iron | Biscuit
Olive green
Grey |
| Corymbia torelliana* | Alum
Copper
Iron | Light yellow
Olive green
Grey |
| * | These species were listed as Eucalyptus in the original article. A botanical revision of the eucalypts, published in 1995, placed these species in the new genus Corymbia. |
|
Reprinted from the December 1986 issue of the "Bulletin", the quarterly newsletter of the Queensland Region of SGAP.
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Australian Plants online - December 1997
The Society for Growing Australian Plants
