Using Mordants With Natural Plant Dyes

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Plant-based fibers, such as cotton, linen, and hemp, often benefit from premordanting with tannin and alum to achieve successful results.
Plant-based fibers, such as cotton, linen, and hemp, often benefit from premordanting with tannin and alum to achieve successful results.
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“The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes” by Sasha Duerr is full of helpful tips and recipes for home dyeing enthusiasts.
“The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes” by Sasha Duerr is full of helpful tips and recipes for home dyeing enthusiasts.

Home dyeing can be a gamble if you are new to the idea, but even if you are experienced in the art, knowing the reaction difference between animal fibers and plant based fibers can be crucial to proper dye absorption. UsingThe Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes (Timber Press, 2010) Sasha Duerr walks you through using mordants and natural dyes in perfect harmony. In this excerpt you will learn the basic uses of mordants and find links to several other mordant recipes featured in Duerr’s book.

Using Mordants

A mordant is a fixative that allows dye molecules to bind to fiber. From the Latin word mordere, meaning to bite, a mordant is a chemical compound that can brighten a dye color, darken it, or make it colorfast. Using a mordant in the correct quantity and with the appropriate fiber can coax out a plant dye’s full color spectrum and can extend lightfastness.

When do I need to use a mordant?
A mordant can be helpful and necessary depending on the dye and fiber combination you choose. Generally, animal fibers such as silk and wool are easier for the beginning dyer to experiment with as they are able to bond more readily with most plant dyes and take less time to mordant properly. Plant-based fibers, such as cotton, linen, and hemp, often benefit from premordanting with tannin and alum to achieve successful results. Some dyes in this book, such as Japanese maple and sour grass, were chosen for their easy compatibility with plant-based fibers even without a separate mordant, as the plant dye itself already contains tannins or other natural binders which act as built-in mordants. Please pay special attention to the recommended combinations of dye, mordant (or not), and fiber as you try the recipes featured in this excerpt.

Not all plant dyes need mordants to achieve good color. Some plants dyes already contain qualities that will bind color to fiber without any additives. Not using a mordant allows you more direct contact with the natural dye colors, which can be a simple, fascinating process, and can eliminate an extra step in the dyeing process, saving time, water, and energy. The key to successful results when you skip the use of a mordant relates to the plant materials you choose to make dye from, the fiber you want to dye, and the length of time it takes for the dye to set on the fiber.

  • Published on Jul 1, 2020
Tagged with: mordants
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