Mordanting

When you are working with natural dyes you need to mordant your fibers to ensure the dyes bind to the fabric. Mordanting is a very simple process that is super easy; however, the further you dive into natural dyes you learn the art of mordanting and how it can impact the colors. If you are new to natural dyes don’t be intimidated by the mordanting process. I recommend starting with Aluminum Potassium Sulfate. I sell this online with our Natural Dyes but you can buy this at the grocery store or other natural dye suppliers. I also recommend using silk or wool (protein fibers) to start as they are easier to mordant than linen and cotton (cellulose fibers). 

Another concept to understand with natural dyes is Weight of Goods : Weight of Fiber. The rule of thumb for natural dyes is the weight of the goods (WOG) should be the same amount as your weight of fiber (WOF). It is converted to a ratio WOG : WOF or 1:1. You want to weigh your fiber when it is dry and for an Alum mordant you want to use 15% WOF. 

Now that you have calculated how much Alum you need, measure it out and then wet out your fibers in a bowl. The purpose of wetting out the fibers is to swell the fibers so they evenly absorb the mordant. 

If you are using wool fiber, warm your water to 140 degrees, dissolve 15% WOF Alum into the warm water and then drop in your fibers. At this point you have a choice: you can either pull the pot off the burner and let it cool with the fiber in the pot for 24 hours. Be sure to gently stir the fibers often. The other option is to increase the temperature up to 180 degrees with the fibers in the pot and maintain this temperature for 1 hour after which remove from the heat, let cool, remove fibers, rinse and hang to dry. 

The other option for wool is to add 6% WOF Cream of Tartar to the mordant pot. This helps keep the wool soft and supple. However, do not use Cream of Tartar on silk or cellulose fibers.

If you are using silk fiber, warm your water to 140 degrees, dissolve 15% WOF Alum into the warm water and then drop in your fibers. Increase the temperature up to 160 degrees with the fibers in the pot and maintain this temperature for 1 hour after which remove from the heat, let cool, remove fibers, rinse and hang to dry.