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Blackberry dye

Dye Experiment Materials: 

  • 144 grams of blackberries 

  • (pre-washed) silk, wool, and cotton fabric (cut into 6x6" squares)

  • pot (not used for cooking)

  • strainer

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Left to right: felted wool, silk habotai, and cotton broadcloth

Fabric preparation: 

  1. Add 1.5 gallon of  water to a pot.

  2. Mix 8tsp of alum with 1 cup of hot water.

  3. Bring pot to boil and add fabric.

  4. Simmer pot for 1 hour. 

  5. Let pot cool down until fabric is retrievable.

  6. Rinse fabric under warm water.

Dye bath:  â€‹

  1. Add 4 cups of water to pot.

  2. Add berries to pot.

  3. Bring to boil.

  4. Simmer dye bath for 20 minutes.

  5. Take dye bath off heat

  6. Strain fruit out. 

  7. Add fabric to dye bath.

  8. Let it soak for a day.

  9. Occasionally stir.*

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*I think needed to stir the fabric more as the color came out very uneven. 

© 2020 by Alyssa Domenico

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