Shepherd Textiles Marigold Extract Natural Dye, 1 oz.

1. Pre-mordant with Alum

Pre-mordant with 12% weight-of-fabric (WOF) alum: Fill dyepot 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.

Cellulose fibers (cotton, linen, bamboo): Marigold extract dyes cellulose fibers very successfully, but the color may be more pale, especially on cotton. Using aluminum acetate as the mordant, instead of normal alum, will strengthen the color on cellulose fibers.

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

2. Make the Dyebath

Fill your dyepot with warm water. Marigold works best at neutral PH: adjust the PH to 7 if necessary, but most tap water will already be close enough.

Weigh out 5% weight-of-fabric (WOF) of Marigold 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. Heat to 180°F

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 180°F for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. 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 1.5 hours to 2 hours, 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 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 marigold will bleed if the fiber is not thoroughly rinsed after dyeing.