Shepherd Textiles French Weld Extract Natural Dye, 1 oz.

French Weld Flowers

Shepherd Textiles French Weld Extract is made from the blossoms of reseda luteola, a plant also known as Weld or Dyer's Rocket. The flowers are farmed organically in the Languedoc region of southern France, and dried naturally during the hot summers. It contains up to 50% more dyestuff than weld grown by industrial farming methods.

Strong, Fast Yellows

Weld is the classic yellow plant dye, used for centuries in tapestries and rugs. It is celebrated by dyers because it gives clear, strong, light-fast yellows that stand up to washing and sunlight. It is appropriate for all natural fibers, including wool, silk, cotton, and alpaca, and gives bright shades ranging from lemon to intense neon yellow. With an iron mordant, the color shifts to olive green.

Dye Up to a Pound

French Weld Extract yields an intense yellow with as little as 5% weight-of-fabric (WOF) on natural fibers mordanted with alum. A one-ounce jar will dye up to a pound of yarn or fiber to a very strong yellow, or 2 or 3 pounds to paler lemon shades (final results will depend on fiber type and thoroughness of mordanting).

Certified by GOTS

Shepherd Textiles French Weld Extract is certified by GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, and is appropriate for use on textiles and yarns that will be labeled "organic." It is also certified by OEKO-TEX 100 (tested for harmful substances) and as ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Harmful Chemicals during production and extraction).

1. Pre-Mordant with Alum

Pre-mordant with 12% weight-of-fabric (WOF) alum: Fill dye pot with hot water. Weigh out alum, add, and stir until dissolved. Add pre-soaked fiber, heat to 170F for an hour, then allow to cool to room temperature. Remove fibers and dispose of mordant liquid according to local regulations.

Note For Cellulose Fibers (cotton, linen, bamboo): Weld extract dyes cellulose fibers very successfully. However, to increase color depth and fastness, pre-treat the fiber with a tannin like Sumac Extract before mordanting as above.

*Always wear gloves and eye protection when working with mordants or mordant liquor.

2. Make the Dyebath

Fill your dyepot with warm water. French Weld Extract gives the strongest yellows at a neutral or slightly alkaline PH of 7 or 8, so adjust the PH with baking soda if necessary. If you don't have PH strips, just leave it as is; most tap water is fairly close to PH 7.

Weigh out 5% weight-of-fabric (WOF) of French Weld Extract. Put it in a disposable cup and mix with a little hot water to make a thin slurry. Be sure to break up any clumps of powder, otherwise they may cause splotches on your fabric. Pour the slurry into the dyebath and mix well. You are now ready for dyeing.

3. Simmer for One Hour

Place your pre-mordanted, pre-soaked fiber into the dyebath. Make sure there is plenty of water for everything to move around freely. Heat to 165°F or 170°F for 1 hour. French Weld Extract has a strong affinity for mordanted fiber, and additional time and heat are not necessary. Stir gently every 15 minutes to make sure fiber dyes evenly. Be careful not to agitate wool too much, otherwise it may felt. A cheap candy thermometer that clips to the side of the dyepot will make it much easier to keep the temperature steady.

After 1 hour, remove dye pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Rinse and Dry

Carefully remove dyed fiber. You can either hang it up to dry to help the color set, or proceed immediately to the final rinsing.

Rinse thoroughly with a PH-neutral fabric detergent according to manufacturer's directions. Use plenty of detergent; it will not remove color that has already bonded to the fiber. After rinsing, squeeze gently to make sure water runs clear. Hang up to dry.

CAUTION: Natural dyes like French Weld Extract will bleed if the fiber is not thoroughly rinsed after dyeing.