The Natural Dye Kit 02: Brights delivers saturated, bold colors with only three dye goods (AKA dye stuff) bringing the possibility of an array of colors.
The first dye kit at Side Lake Stitch, the Natural Dye Kit 01:Warm, creates warm, earthy tones from Wattle, Cutch, Pomegranate, and Iron. For the new dye kit, I wanted colors that stand out in comparison to these subtle hues. The Natural Dye Kit 02 delivers just that – colors that are bold, saturated, and hard to believe are made from natural ingredients.
What’s In the Natural Dye Kit 02: Brights
The Natural Dye Kit 02 comes with six pouches that will transform plain, white fabric into beautiful eco-friendly colors. The natural dye stuff includes:
Madder Root
Cochineal
Osage Orange
Also included in the kit is Iron to transform colors dyed with the dye stuff into new colors that lean towards the greyer version of the original color (e.g., yellow turns to green). Mordant is included as Tannin and Aluminum Acetate. The mordant is a necessary step to ensure the colors in your fabric will not immediately wash out or fade in the sun.
Included with the Natural Dye Kit 02 is a PDF guide – the Beginner’s Guide to Natural Dyeing. This PDF download will walk you through the basics of natural dyeing that can be applied to any natural dyeing project. As part of this guide, specific, detailed instructions on how to dye with madder root, cochineal, and osage orange are carefully explained to walk you through the process.
What New Skills Will You Learn
The new skills you will develop certainly depend on your initial skill level. I like to think of the natural dye resources available in my shop as a progression of skill level. If you are just dipping your toe into the water, you may read the Beginner’s Guide to Natural Dye. If you are ready for a small project, you may take on the Side Lake Stitch Kit 01: May Day Flower which gives you the fabric already prepped for dyeing. The Natural Dye Kit 01 is a great place to start if you are ready to learn the skill of natural dyeing and love earthy, muted colors. I added the Natural Dye Kit 02 to this lineup to teach two new skills – mordanting with tannin and using whole dye stuff or wood chips – and to give you more variety of naturally dyed colorways.
The mordant process in the Natural Dye Kit 02 is slightly different from that in the Natural Dye Kit 01. It is not more difficult, just different. When I first began natural dyeing and had far fewer resources than what is available now, I was too overwhelmed to explore different mordanting methods (there are quite a few). Once I finally felt confident to try out new methods, I realized I had been missing so many opportunities with my natural dyes. I want new dyers and seasoned pros to have options in how they mordant fabric to explore more color depth.
The dye stuff in the Natural Dye Kit 02 is also different from the Natural Dye Kit 01. In the first kit, all the dye stuff is in a powder form. Powders are very easy to use and easily yield color. In the Nayural Dye Kit 02, the dye stuff is either whole or dried and ground, but not ground to a powder. The process of extracting the dye from these dye goods is also different than when you are using a powder. The PDF guide will walk you through this process.
Who Is It For?
Anyone and everyone who is interested in creating magnificent colors and reducing textile waste. I really haven’t said this enough, but naturally dyed fabric has a color that is unlike any synthetic color. When people first try natural dyeing, I often get messages from them exclaiming how shocked they are by the color. It truly is something else. Natural dyeing is an environmentally conscious choice to cut down on synthetically dyed fabric which creates waste runoff dangerous to the world’s rivers, lakes, and oceans, and the people who live by them.
There is no initial skill level necessary for this dye kit. It comes with everything you need besides the pots, spoons, washing soda (for scouring), and heat source. The guide included in this kit will walk you through each step so you will confidently dye each piece of fabric.
How Can I Learn More About Natural Dyeing?
If you’re not sure about natural dyeing, have questions, or just want to know a bit more before jumping in, I have some starting points for you. You can download the free natural dye infographic that will give you a brief overview of natural dyeing. I have a series of four blog posts that were part of a natural dye along in 2022. These blog posts go through the process of natural dyeing with more detail so you will have a good idea of the entire process.
If you’re ready to try natural dyeing or continue your journey with natural dyes, the Natural Dye Kit 02 or Natural Dye Kit 01 is a wonderful way to create a naturally dyed color palette from one simple kit. I would love to see what you create with your kit or answer any questions. Send me an email or leave a comment.
