Natural dyeing is a thoughtful craft that blends color chemistry with tradition, sustainability, and patience. This guide presents the Top 10 Natural Dyes and Mordant Combinations for Craft Textiles so beginners and seasoned makers can plan reliable recipes, understand fiber preparation, and predict shade variations. You will find practical notes on scouring, mordant ratios, temperature, and pH, with clear cautions for tannin rich dyes and metal modifiers. Each pairing lists common fibers, helpful additives, and washfastness tips so you can scale safely from test swatches to small production while keeping color consistent. Simple planning checklists are suggested along the way.
#1 Madder with Alum and Cream of Tartar
Madder root yields warm reds from peach to russet on protein and cellulose fibers. Pre mordant scoured fabric with ten to fifteen percent alum on weight of fiber and add five percent cream of tartar to buffer the bath. Maintain a gentle simmer for one hour and cool in the liquor for deeper take up. Adjust pH slightly alkaline for brighter oranges or add a little calcium for clarity. Iron afterbath deepens toward brick and maroon, while a brief citric rinse brightens. Rinse well, soap, and dry in shade. Sample strengths first because madder lots vary by age, mineral content, and harvest.
#2 Cochineal with Alum and Cream of Tartar
Cochineal delivers vivid crimson through magenta on wool, silk, and well mordanted cotton. Use ten percent alum with six percent cream of tartar to open the fiber and keep the bath mildly acidic. Extract ground insects gently, strain, and add to the dyepot at a low steam. Temperature control matters because hard boiling can dull brilliance and shift tone. A tin modifier creates strong scarlet but may reduce washfastness, so use sparingly with proper disposal. Iron shifts shades to plum and blackberry, while a calcium addition can lift pinks. Finish with a mild soap, then rinse until clear and dry flat.
#3 Weld with Alum for Clear Yellow
Weld is prized for exceptionally lightfast yellows that lean toward green on cellulose. Pre mordant with ten percent alum and maintain a slightly acidic bath to preserve brilliance. Chop plants, soak, then heat gently, avoiding a hard boil that can brown the liquor. Add a pinch of calcium carbonate for clearer lemon or a touch of sodium acetate for stability. Overdye with indigo for fresh greens or modify with a brief iron dip for olive. Because weld is potent, use lower dye percentages for pale grounds and increase time rather than temperature. Wash gently and dry away from direct sun for best retention.
#4 Cutch with Alum and Iron for Caramel Browns
Cutch extract produces caramel to chocolate browns with excellent washfastness on both wool and cotton. Mordant with eight to twelve percent alum for balanced uptake and pre soak fabric to promote even penetration. Dissolve cutch fully, then simmer for one hour, stirring to avoid streaks and grainy deposits. Small additions of baking soda push tones toward redder chestnut, while a brief iron bath cools to tobacco and taupe. Layering multiple short dips builds complex depth without harsh heat. Rinse thoroughly, use mild soap, and air dry to let the shade settle. Cutch pairs beautifully with myrobalan tannin undercoats for rich durability.
#5 Logwood with Alum and Iron for Purples to Near Black
Logwood offers violet through deep near black on protein fibers and properly prepared cotton. Pre mordant with ten percent alum for purples, then post treat with one to two percent iron for dramatic depth. Keep temperatures below a rolling boil because excess heat can brown the dye and sadden color. Adding a little calcium tightens violet, while a small acid rinse brightens blue notes. On cellulose, build color through multiple dips or use a tannin undercoat such as myrobalan. For stable blacks, layer logwood with an iron afterbath and allow slow oxidation. Wash gently once set, and dry in shade to preserve intensity.
#6 Pomegranate with Alum and Iron for Golds and Khaki
Pomegranate rind is rich in tannin and yields soft golds that shift to olive with iron. Mordant with alum at eight to twelve percent for clear straw tones on cotton, linen, and silk. Simmer the rinds, strain, and keep the bath gently hot to avoid dulling and haze. A myrobalan undercoat deepens depth on cellulose and improves lightfastness in sun. Dip briefly in a very dilute iron bath for khaki or layer with indigo for classic military green. Rinse thoroughly to remove residual tannins that can feel tacky on fabric. Finish with a mild soap and air dry for an even hand.
#7 Onion Skins with Alum and Iron for Amber to Olive
Onion skins are accessible and forgiving, producing ambers that read warmly on many fibers. Scour well and mordant with ten percent alum for clean golden hues on cellulose and protein. Extract color from the skins, strain the liquor, and keep a gentle simmer to protect brightness. An iron modifier turns shades toward olive and moss, while a small alkaline shift pulls toward copper. Because onion baths exhaust quickly, plan multiple small dips for even coverage on larger yardage. Save and combine exhausted liquors for grounding tones in later projects. Rinse until clear, soap lightly, and dry flat for smooth finish.
#8 Walnut Hulls with Alum or Direct Dyeing, Iron for Deep Browns
Walnut hulls contain natural tannins and can dye without mordant, though alum improves brightness on protein fibers. Make an extract by soaking or simmering broken hulls and let the liquor mature overnight for richer uptake. For deep browns, use an iron afterbath at very low concentration to avoid harsh feel. A small addition of soda raises the shade toward cocoa, while a citric rinse cools to smoky brown. Walnut is excellent for pattern techniques like clamp resist because it penetrates slowly and evenly. Rinse thoroughly, then wash with mild soap, and dry in shade. Expect excellent washfastness with gradual mellowing over time.
#9 Myrobalan with Alum and Iron for Butter Yellow to Gray
Myrobalan is a cornerstone tannin for cellulose mordanting and a gentle dye in its own right. Use it as a pre tannin step followed by alum for bright, even dyeing on cotton and linen. As a colorant, it yields butter yellows that shift to soft gray with iron modifier. Maintain a warm, not boiling, bath to avoid uneven uptake and ring marks. Myrobalan strengthens subsequent dyes like madder and logwood by improving metal binding on the fiber. For nuanced neutrals, build layered dips and finish with a short iron afterbath. Rinse thoroughly, soap lightly, and dry away from strong sun for stability.
#10 Marigold with Alum, Optional Calcium, and Iron for Sunlit Yellows
Marigold petals produce cheerful sunlit yellows suited to quick projects and seasonal color. Mordant with ten percent alum and keep the dyepot at a gentle steam for clarity and lift. Adding a small amount of calcium carbonate can raise brightness while preventing muddiness in the liquor. Iron afterbath shifts the palette to olive and antique gold, especially on linen and hemp. Because marigold can be moderately fugitive, reserve it for accessories or overdye with indigo for durable greens. Rinse thoroughly, soap, and dry flat in shade. Store dried petals in the dark since light and heat can reduce power.