Natural Dye

Using only organic plant matter such food waste intended for the compost, and naturally occurring minerals such as iron & aluminum, you will gain knowledge and experiment with the time honored art of natural dyeing.

With Natural Kitchen Dyes you can explore the magical world of natural dyes, without the need of a garden full of dye plants. Our kitchens are a great source of natural dye colors, from vegetable peels that create blush pinks and peaches, fruit skins that make lemon yellows, a green dye sourced from carrot tops, dried spices and used tea bags to create vibrant yellows, rich terracottas and deep browns.

Natural dyes offer a time-tested and generally more sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes in the textile industry. The issues surrounding synthetic dyes are well-known, and in the literature it is generally accepted that natural dyes have a smaller environmental impact. However, even natural dyes have issues that must be dealt with in order to ensure sustainability in the industry. For example, the mordants needed to improve the dyeing process may release hazardous heavy metal pollutants when used. This book is dedicated to exploring cases such as this that illustrate the benefits and drawbacks to natural dyes and steps that must be taken for their sustainable use in the textile industry.

Thousands of natural materials can produce glorious color—the insect cochineal produces pink, maroon, and purple, and more than 500 species of plants produce indigo blue. In The Modern Natural Dyer expert Kristine Vejar shares the most user-friendly techniques for dyeing yarn, fabric, and finished goods at home with foraged and garden-raised dyestuffs as well as with convenient natural dye extracts.

This book is a priority publication and it relates to sustainable approaches towards green chemical processing of textiles, specifically on dyeing with natural dyes and pigments as well as dyeing with eco-safe synthetic dyes and chemicals. This new book is expected to be useful for dyers of the textile industry as well as to the future researchers in this field.