For my natural dyeing experiment, I selected three organic fabrics: velour, raw silk, and flannel. These fabrics were dyed to test how well they would absorb colour over different periods in the dye bath, allowing for a direct comparison of colour retention and saturation between short and extended dye exposure.
To begin, the top layer of each fabric sample is the original, undyed colour, setting a baseline for comparison. In the middle row, each fabric spent approximately ten minutes in the dye bath, and in the bottom row, the fabrics were left for nearly 24 hours. Here’s a closer look at the results for each fabric type.
Organic Velour
The organic velour presented unique challenges due to its stretchiness and plush texture, which can sometimes hinder dye absorption. However, despite its texture, the dye took well to this fabric. The ten-minute exposure produced a soft, muted colour, while the 24-hour exposure produced a deeper and richer shade. Though working with velour can be tricky due to its stretch, it’s promising to see how well it absorbed the dye. The fabric had some patchy areas when the fabric was dry but I think this only adds to its organic uniqueness.
Organic Raw Silk
Next was the organic raw silk, which proved to be both cooperative and effective at absorbing the dye. The raw silk’s natural fibres took to the dye with ease, creating a vibrant colour in both the ten-minute and 24-hour samples. The raw silk held its colour beautifully, and its easy-to-handle nature made it an ideal fabric for natural dyeing.
Organic Flannel
The organic flannel fabric, known for its softness and durability, showed different dyeing results. When left in the dye bath for only ten minutes, the flannel did not take much colour, leaving a barely noticeable tint. However, the 24-hour exposure yielded a significant transformation, resulting in a rich, even colour. This suggests that flannel may require prolonged immersion to achieve the desired hue, as its dense weave makes it more resistant to quick dye absorption.
Next Steps: Washing and Finishing
With initial dyeing complete, the next experiment will involve gently washing the fabrics with soap and water. This step will allow us to observe any colourfastness changes and how the fabrics respond to cleaning. Following the wash, each fabric will be dried and ironed to see how well the colours hold and whether any colour bleeding or fading occurs.
Testing Textiles: Exploring Natural Dyeing: Organic Bamboo Flannel, Velour, and Raw Silk
Starting any textile project often involves understanding how each fabric behaves under real-life conditions, from washing to drying and everything in between. I prepared three sample fabrics for this experiment: organic bamboo flannel, velour, and raw silk as these fabrics are what I hope will be used for future textile projects. Each material has unique properties and textures, and to see how they might hold up over time, I tested them with a basic wash. Without specialised detergent on hand, I opted to use simple washing-up liquid for a quick but thorough rinse, aiming to replicate how these fabrics might respond to everyday care.
As the fabrics dried, differences in texture, resilience, and feel began to emerge. Each material showed distinct characteristics, shedding light on how these organic and specialty fabrics react to common washing methods, and revealing qualities that could be crucial for choosing the right material in future projects.
Building a Sustainable Dye Stash: Storing and Collecting Onion Skins
To keep a steady supply of dye materials on hand, I started storing dry onion skins in a sealed glass jar next to my cooker. Each time I use an onion in the kitchen, I simply add the skins to the jar, creating a growing stash of natural dye ingredients that I can draw from for future dye baths. This simple habit not only ensures a reliable source of dye material but also turns what would be kitchen waste into a sustainable resource for textile projects.
Keeping the jar near the cooker makes it easy to remember to add new skins, and the glass container allows me to monitor my supply at a glance. The sealed jar keeps the skins dry and free from moisture, preserving them until I’m ready to use them. This method has also encouraged me to experiment with the intensity of colours over time. As the stash builds up, I have the option to use larger quantities of skins for richer, more intense dyes or to blend them with other natural materials like tea leaves or turmeric to explore a range of tones.
This ongoing collection of onion skins has added a rhythm to the natural dyeing process, connecting everyday cooking with creative textile work. By reusing these kitchen scraps, I not only minimise waste but also enhance my dyeing experiments, opening up endless possibilities for new colour palettes that develop gradually, meal by meal.
Preparing a Natural Dye Bath
After washing and drying the fabrics, I moved on to creating a natural dye bath using dry brown onion skins. Onion skins are well-known for their ability to produce rich, earthy hues ranging from golden yellows to deep ambers, depending on the fabric and the dyeing process. To start, I placed a handful of the dry skins into a pot of cold water.
To extract the pigments slowly and evenly, I heated the water gently, careful not to let it reach a full boil. Keeping the temperature as low as possible helps preserve the subtle tones of the dye while preventing it from becoming too concentrated too quickly. As the water warmed, the skins began to release their colour, tinting the liquid with warm, amber tones that hinted at the final colour results.
The gentle heating process is key to controlling the depth and uniformity of the dye. Gradually, the dye bath transformed into a rich, golden-brown shade, perfect for testing on the organic bamboo flannel, velour, and raw silk samples. Once the dye appeared ready, I introduced the fabrics, anticipating how each material might interact with the natural pigments from the onion skins.
Immersing the Fabrics: The Dyeing Process Begins
Once the onion skins had steeped in the warm water for about ten minutes, they released a peach colour, ideal for natural dyeing to act as a base for my experiment. I then submerged the fabric samples into the dye bath.
The organic bamboo flannel, velour, and raw silk fabric each took on the colour slightly differently, reflecting their unique fibres and textures. As the fabrics soaked, I could see the bamboo flannel absorbing the dye more quickly, as its natural fibres began to show a very slightly warm, earthy hue almost immediately. The velour, with its plush surface, appeared to absorb the colour more gradually, creating subtle variations in shading that gave it a soft, almost velvety richness. Meanwhile, the raw silk, with its slightly nubby texture, took on the dye in a more unpredictable way, creating a slight blend of warm golden and beige tones.
I allowed each piece to soak undisturbed, checking occasionally to see how the colour developed. The interaction between the fabric types and the natural pigments from the onion skins brought out intriguing patterns and tonal variations, offering a glimpse into the unique character each material could bring to a naturally dyed textile project.
Deepening the Shades: Extended Dyeing for Richer Tones
After the first set of fabric samples had achieved a subtle amber hue, I carefully removed them from the dye bath and set them aside to dry. To explore how prolonged exposure would affect the depth of colour, I introduced new samples of the organic bamboo flannel, velour, and raw silk to the same dye bath. This time, I planned to leave them soaking much longer, allowing the pigments from the onion skins to fully saturate each fabric.
As the second batch of fabrics steeped, I noticed the colour in the dye bath growing slightly more concentrated, likely due to the remaining onion skins continuing to release pigments. Leaving these fabrics in for an extended period overnight would, in theory, result in deeper, richer tones. I anticipated that the bamboo flannel, with its highly absorbent fibres, would take on a darker, more intense shade than before. The velour, too, might develop a richer and more uniform colour, as the longer exposure would allow the pigment to saturate its plush surface more evenly. The raw silk, with its unique texture, promised even more depth, potentially creating organic variations in the dye pattern.
I then added the dye bath and organic fabric samples to a slow cooker pot, on low heat to keep the temperature consistent turned it off after six hours and left them overnight. I wanted to test how the slow cooker pot could act as a consistent heat provider for the dye bath and organic fabrics. The slow cooker pot did keep the heat consistent and I will keep using this in my future natural dyeing endeavours.
As time passed, the fabrics began to display visible changes in colour, gradually deepening from the initial amber hues into warmer, more intense shades. This extended dyeing period hinted at the possibilities for achieving a spectrum of tones from a single natural dye bath, offering a versatile and sustainable approach to natural textile dyeing with natural materials.
Comparing Dye Times: A Visible Shift in Color Intensity
In the image above, the first three fabric samples clearly show the effects of a short, ten-minute dip in the onion skin dye bath, displaying subtle amber tones compared to the remaining nine samples, which retain their original, undyed color. Even with this brief exposure, the bamboo flannel, velour, and raw silk each took on a hint of warm color, revealing how quickly natural pigments can begin to transform fabric.
This initial ten-minute soak allowed for a light tinting, especially visible on the more absorbent bamboo flannel, which picked up the color most readily. The velour and raw silk, with their distinct textures, show a softer, more gradual uptake of the dye, emphasizing how fiber type and weave play a role in how dye colors appear. These early results provide a baseline for future dyeing, showing that even a brief dip can introduce a wash of color, especially useful for those aiming for lighter, more pastel tones.
By comparing these first dyed samples to undyed fabrics, it’s possible to appreciate the subtle beauty and versatility of natural dyeing. This approach allows for precise control over colour depth simply by adjusting immersion time, making it easy to achieve anything from gentle, earthy hues to more pronounced, saturated tones as desired.
Observing the Impact of Extended Dyeing: Enhanced Colour Depth
As shown above, the colour intensifies significantly with prolonged exposure to the dye bath. The second batch of samples left in the onion skin dye bath for an extended period took on a much deeper, more vibrant hue compared to the initial, shorter soak. This contrast highlights the impact that time has on colour absorption, especially with natural dyes where subtle shifts in time, heat, and concentration can create noticeably different results.
The extended dyeing process gave each fabric a richer and more saturated colour, with the organic bamboo flannel now showcasing a warm, honeyed tone, while the velour developed a plush, almost golden depth. The raw silk, with its unique texture, displayed beautiful, uneven dye patterns that added a dynamic quality to the colour. The results demonstrate that, when aiming for bolder shades, allowing fabrics to soak longer in the dye bath can be a simple yet effective technique.
This experiment also reinforces the adaptability of natural dyes—by merely adjusting the dyeing time, it’s possible to create a range of shades and tones from a single batch of onion skins. For anyone exploring natural dyeing, experimenting with different soak times offers an easy way to achieve a variety of colours, all derived from the same base material.
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