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TEXTILES WITH NATURAL COLOURS
INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICES

 

Fast access : Click on Natural dyeing , Textile printing & painting
or Washing and care of your textiles

 

NATURAL DYEING

Presentation Dyeing instructions Indicative shade cards

 

 

 

 

Dye-plant extracts & mordants in small packages for your own natural dyed textiles.

Our extracts are manufactured from plants locally grown in France or from selected raw materials (plants or extracts from mild regions).

More information on our products

Dyeing with plant extracts

Dye-plant extracts Couleurs de Plantes^® will provide you a large range of beautiful shades on natural fibres ( silk, wool, linen, hemp, ...) and can also be used with some synthetic fibres (polyamide...). Blue or marine shades are mostly obtained from natural indigos (and through a different dyeing process).
 

Advices and instructions

Two kinds of natural dyes are available : mordant dyes or indigos.

Plant extracts dyeing (mordant dyes) :

Natural dyeing is achieved in two steps (e.g. two baths) :

1- a mordenting step (preparation of fibres);
2- the dyeing bath.

The mordent bath is a preliminary treatment with a metallic salt that will allow a good fixation of the natural dye on the fibre.

If you´re just starting to experiment natural dyes, we recommend to start with potassium alum - the most used mordant. You will then experience other mordants and discover infinite natural shades.

The water quality is important for good results. The softer it is, the better results are. We recommend to carefully read our instructions and advices for good results.

Instructions for dyeing with plant extracts Click here

Indigo dyeing :

Indigo dyeing process is different than mordent dyeing. A preliminary reduction step (resulting in a transparent greenish solution) is necessary. The textile to be dyed is then immersed in this solution. While removing the textile from the bath, the blue colour will developp by reaction with the oxygen (oxydation step). This is always a magic time!

Instructions for dyeing with natural indigo Click here

  

Indicative shade card
 

   You may create your own dyeing combinations from this table information. Products available at the page "Textile printing".
Kits available at the page "Textile dyeing - colour kits" are very convenient to start experiencing natural dyeing and/or dye different kinds of fibres. They will allow you to get the four shades of any row (e.g. dye-plant) from the shade card below.

	Indicative shades*
	Alum mordant		Iron mordant
Natural dyes	Cotton	Silk	Cotton	Silk
Coreopsis
Madder red
Madder
Dyer´s broom
Weld
Dyer´s sorghum
Logwood
Chlorophyllin
Cochineal
Chestnut
Cutch

*Indicative shade card. Dye bath at 5 % WOF (Weight Of Fibre) except logwood, chlorophyllin and cochineal(2% WOF).

Download cotton indicative shade card  Click here
Download silk indicative shade card Click here

 

TEXTILE PRINTING & PAINTING

Printing or painting with plant colours

Dye-plant extracts and plant pigments Couleurs de Plantes^® can be used with any kind of printing or painting technique : screen printing, brushes, stamps, stencils...

They will allow you to create large ranges of beautiful shades for your own colours, inks and textile paints for natural fibres (silk, wool, linen, hemp, ...) and some synthetic fibres (polyamide...).

 

Advices and instructions for textile printing or painting

Two kinds of colour fixation may be used : 

1- Fixation at room temperature (with a binder that will create a surface coating) or;
2- Steam fixation (resulting in a micro-dyebath on the coloured patterns).

Fixation at room temperature - printing or painting :

We did select a binder safe for environment and drying at room temperature. You may also use your own binder, medium or paint.

Depending on the researched shade, we recommend to use either a dye-plant extract or a plant pigment. To formulate your inks, printing pastes ou textile paints, you´ll just have to mixx a plant colour solution (or the plant pigment) into the binder. 

Colours from dye-plant extracts are prepared from a solution including a dye-plant extract and a mordent that will be further incorporated into the binder or medium. Plant pigments can be directly homogenized into the binder. A ´maturation´ step may be needed in order to well develop the colour. We recommend to carefully read our instructions and advices for good results.

Application of your colours can be realized by screen, brushes, stencils or stamps... Allow your fabric to dry well before washing to remove all the colour that would not be fixed.

The recommended Aquatex binder will provide good wash fastnesses at 40°C (100°F ). For good wash fastnesses at 60°C , it is recommended to add the proposed fixative (use at 2-3% - product from synthetic origin however).

Printing with plant colours : instructions and shade card Click here

Aquatex binder : technical sheet Click here

Steam fixation :

Your inks and printing pastes can be produced from the same principle as above. In this case, only the dye-plant extracts can be used (in combination with mordents). This application way needs an oven or steaming cabinet. Steam for an iron may not be sufficient (except for very little surfaces).

It is necessary to prepare a solution of (dye-plant extract + mordent) that will be incorporated into the binder. You may use some natural binders like guar, adraganth... A ´maturation´ step may be needed in order to well develop the colour.

Application is achieved by screen, brushes, stencils or stamps...

Then proceed to the following steps : allow the fabric to dry, steaming fixation, allow again to dry, then wash to remove all the colour that would not be fixed.

 

 

WASHING AND CARE OF YOUR TEXTILES

A few advices in order to protect the natural colours of your textiles :

Wash your natural dyed textiles at low temperature (maximum 40°C).
As for all recently dyed or colored fabrics, one or two washes are recommended.

Avoid washing powders (they contain bleaching agents that will quickly fade your colours) and bleach. 
Washing recommended with natural soaps, soap nuts (and without bleaching agent sometimes recommended), washing balls or washing liquids (pay attention to the absence of bleaching agent).

Dry your textile away from direct sun.

 
While experiencing natural dyeing or printing, your imagination and creativity will allow you to develop your own recipes for infinite and beautiful shades !