Showing posts with label scotch broom dye plant roadside Cytisus scopanius yellow natural dyeing alum wool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scotch broom dye plant roadside Cytisus scopanius yellow natural dyeing alum wool. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Gathering Dye Plants the Fun Way

Furthering the "Better Living through Dyeing" Philosophy, I bought a carrots for leaves; ate a carrot and felt healthier, saving the feathery green leaves in the freezer I can accumulate enough for a dye bath
On the way up Albion Ridge, I stopped by the side of the road to gather some much-maligned Scotch  Broom for dye, and of course, after walking a bit, I 
felt healthier.






I saved the flowers and some of the tops green leaves and stems and covered them with water.  I will wait a couple of days and watch for changes before steeping for an hour.







Scotch Broom Cytisus scopanius, Use the flowers + green stems with an alum mordant.  That should produce a
yellow or yellow/green on animal fibers.