FREE LESSONS

On the Maiwa School of Textiles teachable platform.


Fibre TYpes

Fibre Types

For the natural dyer, few things are as important as knowing your fibres. Join us for a free introduction to natural fibre types.

FREE LESSON HERE

Weight of Fibre (WOF)

What it is, how to calculate it, why it is useful.

FREE LESSON HERE

Scouring

The most important but under rated step in achieving excellent results with natural dyes.

FREE LESSON HERE

Mordants & Tannins

An introduction to mordants and tannins for natural dyers.

FREE LESSON HERE

WATER AND pH

What dyers need to know.

FREE LESSON HERE

SET UP YOUR STUDIO

A few tips for setting up your studio.

FREE LESSON HERE

KEEPING A DYE JOURNAL

Nothing is as helpful as good record keeping.

FREE LESSON HERE

MANAGING YARNS FOR NATURAL DYES

Yarns are some of the easiest goods to dye naturally. Learn how to manage your yarns to avoid tangles and get the best result

FREE LESSON HERE

KNOW YOUR WATER

An introduction to how various qualities of your water can influence the colours of natural dyes. We also include some simple troubleshooting for basic natural dye problems.

FREE LESSON HERE

DYES & EXTRACTS, LAKES & PIGMENTS

An introduction to the difference between dyestuff, dye extract, pre-made extract, mineral pigments, lake pigments, and indigo pigment.

FREE LESSON HERE
 
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BUNDLE DYED SILK PILLOWCASES

LEVEL: BEGINNER

FOLLOW ALONG WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.

Download the PDF here

 
 

TAG US IN YOUR PROJECTS: @maiwahandprints TO SHOW US YOUR FINISHED PILLOWCASE!

TERMS USED IN THIS PROJECT:

WOF = Refers to the “Weight Of Fibre”. WOF gives a convenient way to state how much dye is needed for a given shade. The measure is a percentage of the dry weight of goods, so it remains constant — regardless if you are dyeing a few ounces or a few kilograms.

MORDANT = Colourfast dyeing usually requires a mordant. Mordants are metallic salts that facilitate the bonding of the dyestuff to the fibre. Cellulose fibres also require a tannin in order to bond well and so the mordanting step for cellulose will include both a mordant and a tannin.

SAFETY:

KEEP POTS AND UTENSILS USED FOR DYEING SEPARATE FROM ITEMS USED FOR COOKING. STORE DYEING INGREDIENTS AWAY FROM FOODS. CLOSE JARS TIGHTLY AND KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND PETS.

Complete instructions on the use of natural dyes:

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT USED:

Supplies for this project are in a special PROJECTS section of our website maiwa.com.

Here are links to individual supplies.

  • Mulberry silk queen and king Pillowcases.

  • Dyes - we used cochineal bugs.

  • Flowers we used - Marigold, Coreopsis, Black Knight Scabiosa.

  • Alum (Potassium Aluminum Sulphate - a mordant)

  • Stainless steel pot & spoon, gloves, string, scale, note paper, mortar and pestle (optional - to grind the cochineal).

 

STEP 1: WOF AND CALCULATIONS

WOF - means weight of fibre. We are going to mordant with alum at 15% WOF

Weigh the silk pillowcases dry and record the weight. Our silk weighed 104g so we rounded it to 100g.

Place a container on the scale to measure the Alum. Don’t forget to “tare” or “zero” the scale to remove the weight of the container.

We want to mordant Alum at 15% WOF. Here’s our calculation:

15% of the weight of our silk = the weigh of alum we will use.

.15 x 100g = 15g (so, 15g of Alum will be used to mordant our silk).

Do this calculation now, while the fibre is dry. We will need the answer later in step three.

 

STEP 2: MORDANT WITH ALUM

Add 15g of Alum (from the calculation in step one) to a pot of hot water. Put in enough water for the pillowcases to move freely and start heating to dissolve the alum.

Add the pillowcases to the pot once the alum is fully dissolved.

Heat the pot until it starts to steam, but keep it below a simmer. Keep this temperature for 30 minutes. Stir every so often.

 

STEP 3: DRY YOUR SILK

Hang to dry or tumble in a warm dryer.

 

STEP 4: SPRINKLE

Lay your silk on a flat surface. Sprinkle with dye flower petals (see list below for flowers to choose from). For this project we used Marigold, Coreopsis, Dark Knight Scabiosa. 

We sprinkled about 15g of cochineal to give that gorgeous burst of pinks and reds! 

We layered a second layer of silk onto to get a mirror print on two pieces.

 

STEP 5: BUNDLE & BIND

Loosely roll the two layers, sprinkling a little bit of dye material into the folds as you go.

Once you have a long loose roll of cloth, rotate it so it lies lengthwise in front of you.

Lay a wooden dowel perpendicular to your roll of fabric (across the width).

Starting at one end, roll the fabric tightly around the dowel until the entire length is secured.

Wrap string firmly around the bundle - keep the tension as tight as you can as this helps create strong contact prints.

Tie off the string securely so the bundle stays closed during steaming or dyeing.

 

STEP 6: DYE THE BUNDLE

Put your bundle and any leftover dye material in a pot of water and bring to a boil. 

Boil your bundle for about 30-60 minutes.  Push your bundle down to help release air bubbles. 

You may plop it in a bucket of water to help cool it down. Open it up. 

Shake off the dye material and rinse in cool water with a neutral soap.

Hang to dry.

* You may want to keep the rinse water, the leftover dye material and the boiling pot water and combine to make an exhaust dye bath.

 

DYE FLOWERS WE RECOMMEND:

Marigold

Calendula 

Coreopsis

Hollyhock

Dark Knight Scabiosa

Golden Rod

Weld

Cosmos

Yarrow

Chamomile

Rudbeckia

Pansies, Violas

Hibiscus

COCHINEAL SPRINKLE SHAWL

LEVEL: BEGINNER

This is a fun project that is quick and easy to do. The grey merino wool scarf gives a beautiful tone to the rich saturated reds and yellows from cochineal and weld. Bundle dyeing can give delightfully unexpected results. The moment you open your bundle is aways special — you might want to have a friend with a camera ready!

 

WATCH THE HOW TO VIDEO

— Web Browser Link —

— Smart Phone —

(IN OUR INSTAGRAM STORIES)

FOLLOW ALONG WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.

Download the PDF here

 
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TAG US IN YOUR PROJECTS: @maiwahandprints TO SHOW US YOUR FINISHED SCARF!

TERMS USED IN THIS PROJECT:

WOF = Refers to the “Weight Of Fibre”. WOF gives a convenient way to state how much dye is needed for a given shade. The measure is a percentage of the dry weight of goods, so it remains constant — regardless if you are dyeing a few ounces or a few kilograms.

SCOUR = Both yarns and fabrics need to be scoured before dyeing to remove oils and impurities. Scoured items dye more evenly, the dye penetrates better, and dyed colours are more lightfast and wash-fast. The process is different for cellulose fibres and for protein fibres.

MORDANT = Colourfast dyeing usually requires a mordant. Mordants are metallic salts that facilitate the bonding of the dyestuff to the fibre. Cellulose fibres also require a tannin in order to bond well and so the mordanting step for cellulose will include both a mordant and a tannin.

SAFETY:

KEEP POTS AND UTENSILS USED FOR DYEING SEPARATE FROM ITEMS USED FOR COOKING. STORE DYEING INGREDIENTS AWAY FROM FOODS. CLOSE JARS TIGHTLY AND KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND PETS.

 

Complete instructions on the use of natural dyes:

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT USED:

Supplies for this project are in a special PROJECTS section of our website.

Here are links to individual supplies.

  • Our Heather Grey Merino Wool Scarf that was used in this demonstration is currently out of stock, but our Handwoven Wool Pashmina Scarf is a great alternative.

  • Dyes - we used cochineal bugs and weld extract.

  • Orvus paste (scouring agent)

  • Alum (Potassium Aluminum Sulphate - a mordant)

  • Stainless steel pot & spoon, gloves, string, scale, note paper, mortar and pestle (optional - to grind the cochineal).

20200318_SK_1.jpg
 
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STEP 1: WOF AND CALCULATIONS

WOF - means weight of fibre. We are going to mordant with alum at 15% WOF

Weigh the scarf dry and record the weight. Our scarf weighed 107g so we rounded it to 110g.

Place a container on the scale to measure the Alum. Don’t forget to “tare” or “zero” the scale to remove the weight of the container.

We want to mordant Alum at 15% WOF. Here’s our calculation:

15% of the weight of our scarf = the weigh of alum we will use.

.15 x 110g = 16.5g (rounded to 17g) So, 17g of Alum will be used to mordant our scarf

Do this calculation now, while the fibre is dry. We will need the answer later in step three.

 
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STEP 2: SCOUR WITH ORVUS PASTE

ORVUS PASTE is a scouring agent used for protein fibres. Use 15 ml (1 Tablespoon) for every 1kg of fibre.

This scarf is only 110g (about 1/10 of a kilo)so we will use 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) of Orvus Paste.

Add the Orvus Paste to warm water and massage the wool scarf intermittently for 30 minutes, squeeze out the water when finished and rinse.

 
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STEP 3: MORDANT WITH ALUM

Add 17g of Alum (from the calculation in step one) to a pot of hot water. Put in enough water for the scarf to move freely and start heating to dissolve the alum.

Add the scoured scarf to the pot once the alum is fully dissolved.

Heat the pot until it starts to steam, but keep it below a simmer. Keep this temperature for 30 minutes. Stir every so often.

After 30 minutes turn off the heat and let your item cool. Once it is cool to the touch, wring it out and spread it flat on your work surface (no need to rinse).

 
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STEP 4: ADD THE DYE

Prepare your dye. We used about 10g of cochineal and crushed it in the mortar and pestle in order to have different size grains. We also used about 5g of weld extract.

TIP: you can use any natural dyes – either raw materials or extracts – to get different results.

With the scarf spread horizontally and flat, sprinkle a bit of ground cochineal and weld extract on the middle third of the scarf. Next, fold the right-hand third of the scarf over top of the middle third – sprinkle both dyes on-top of that folded section. Next, fold the left-hand third overtop. Repeat again, working smaller, sprinkling and folding over in thirds. Finally, roll up the bundle.

 
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STEP 5: TIE THE BUNDLE

Wrap the bundle with string as tightly as you can. Tie the string so the bundle remains closed.

 
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STEP 6: DYE THE BUNDLE

Put your bundle in the dye pot and add enough water to cover your bundle. Start heating. Once the water is giving off steam you can set your timer for 60 minutes. Keep the heat just below boiling. Stirring isn’t necessary. After 60 minutes, remove your bundle and let it cool. You may plop it in a bucket of water to help cool it down. Open it up.

Rinse thoroughly in the water. Don’t agitate too much or you might begin to felt the wool.

TIP: The rinse water can also be used as a weak dye bath for beautiful pale shades of orange/pink.

 
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STEP 7: HANG TO DRY

That’s it!

Once the shawl has dried completely you may wash it gently with a pH neutral soap.

 

NATURAL INDIGO - THE BANANA VAT

Organic Indigo Vat & Shaped Resist

 

Part 1 — [WATCH ON IGTV]

How to build an organic indigo vat. Sophena Kwon shows how to build the banana vat. This one is the most popular recipes. It gives a bright clear blue.

See our banana vat instructions here.

Download our complete How to Dye With Indigo PDF.

 
 
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Part 2 — [WATCH ON IGTV]

Shaped Resit. Sophena takes you through two great techniques to create shaped resist. These techniques create forceful patterns and are very simple to do. These pieces will be dyed in indigo in Part 3.

See our banana vat instructions here.

Download our complete How to Dye With Indigo PDF.

 
 

Part 3 — [WATCH ON IGTV]

Two pieces of shaped resist from Part 2 go into the organic indigo vat built in Part 1. Learn how to dye your work and some good tips to maintain your indigo vat.

See our banana vat instructions here.

Download our complete How to Dye With Indigo PDF.