Strawberry Picking Retreat
Summer in the UK is so short! I feel that every summer should be celebrated. When the weather heats up, I always want to go out and take a walk. Last month, I went to a farm to pick strawberries.
The strawberries were red and sweet, and we picked a lot.
While picking strawberries, I also gathered some leaves to use for natural dyeing. I had previously read an article about using strawberry leaves for dyeing, so I wanted to try it and see what colours I could get.
When I do colour tests, I usually cut the fabric into small pieces and use cotton, linen, silk, and loofah to see the outcomeson different fabrics. Loofah is a fibre that surprised me; it absorbs colour very well, and I love its texture.
When I do colour tests, I usually cut the fabric into small pieces and use cotton, linen, silk, and loofah to see the outcomeson different fabrics. Loofah is a fibre that surprised me; it absorbs colour very well, and I love its texture.
After returning home, I put the collected strawberry leaves into a pot and boiled them for about half an hour. Then I removed the leaves and soaked the fabric in the dye bath (before dipping the fabric in the dye bath, it needs to be soaked in water for 10 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly wet for better dye absorption). After soaking the fabric in the dye bath for 30 minutes, I wrung it out and placed it in three different mordant solutions (alum, copper, and ferrous). Mordanting helps to fix the dye and can alter the colour.
Outcome
Earthy colours are commonly obtained from natural dyes. Although you might think green is a typical colour for natural plants, it is actually not easy to achieve through natural dyeing as one might imagine.
I’m so happy with the outcomes of natural dyeing and experimenting daily. Before I knew about natural dyeing, I didn't really observe the plants around me and had no idea about their names or families. After learning the magic of naturalplants and the wide range of colours they can create, I try to recognize the plants around me and guess what colours I will get before the test. It is quite an interesting process to explore nature! As I began to learn this knowledge, I also connected with people who have rich knowledge of plants and growing, and who can recognize various plants.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with natural dyeing or any tips you might have. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a go—there’s something magical about creating your own colours from nature. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or even photos of your own dyeing projects with me through email, Instagram etc. Let’s connect and explore the beauty of natural dyeing together! 🌿
