Ordered before 17:30, shipped today - Support: +44 7971 457 184

Cart

Dye With Hollyhocks

The blossoms from the black flowers – Alcaea rosea produce lavenders to purples. Changing the pH of the dye bath water provides greater colour variations including blue and green.

  1. Gather the blossoms from mid to late summer.
  2. The blossoms can be used fresh or dried.
  3. For fresh blossoms use a ratio of 2:1 blossom weight to 100g fibre
  4. For dried blossoms use 10g blossoms to 100g fibre
  5. Alum mordanted fibre.
  6. Cover the blossoms with water and leave to soak overnight.
  7. Simmer for 1 hour and strain.
  8. Add Glauber’s salt to the dyebath and mix well.
  9. Add pre-mordanted and wetted out fibre to the dye-pot
  10. Simmer for 1 hour.
  11. Turn off heat and leave to cool.
  12. Remove fibre and rinse.
  13. Dry in shade.
  14. Add the pre mordanted fibre and wetted out fibre to the dye pot and gently raise the temperature again and simmer for about 2 hours.
  15. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
  16. Rinse.
  17. Dry in the shade.

Buy Hollyhock Dye Seeds here