What Equipment Do You Actually Need to Start Natural Dyeing? Natural dyeing has a reputation for being complicated — copper pots, mysterious powders, steaming vats in lush gardens. The truth? You can begin natural dyeing at home with a very simple setup. Whether you're working with plant materials or concentrated dye extracts, this guide breaks down exactly what you need to start Start Simple: You Don’t Need a Studio Many beginners assume they need a professional dedicated sp

Get to know your fabric and how to treat it for best dye results.

The very first step in the dye process is to find the dry weight of your fibre or fabric that you would like to dye. This weight is very important in all the following steps to give us the amounts of scour, mordants and dyestuffs to use to colour your textiles. Have a book handy to note down the weights of individual pieces or batch that you may want to do together. The amounts you use in the following processes will be percentage based, so best to keep a calculator handy to

When working with plant-based fibres like cotton, linen, hemp and bamboo, one of the most important steps in natural dyeing is mordanting . Unlike protein fibres (such as wool and silk), cellulose fibres don’t naturally bond as easily with many plant dyes. Mordanting prepares the fibre so the colour adheres better, deepens in tone, and lasts longer through washing and sunlight. If you’ve ever wondered why your cotton samples look faded while your wool turns out rich and vibra

Scouring is a very important step in the dyeing process. Missing this step can result in patchy weak colour bonds and disappointing outcomes.