Blue Dyes

Method:

• Heat dried or fresh flowers in water and reduced by 1/4 
• Add Alum mordant (pH4) = Yellow
• Add Potash mordant (pH12) = Green / Grey-Blues

Method:

• The fruits are heated in water and reduced by half

• Add Iron Sulphate mordant to the dye (pH2) = Black-Grey

• Add Tin mordant to the dye (pH2) = Pink-Purple

Method:

• Extract the inner juice from the ripe berries and place the husks in boiled water and add alum. Leave to soak for 1 hour.
• Strain the juice through a fine mesh = Blue
• Add powdered gum arabic to thicken the dye to use as an ink wash. 
• Unripe berries with added Alum mordant (pH2) = Yellow

Method:

• Heat the purple flowers in water and reduce to 1/4 (pH7)
• Add Alum mordant (pH3) = Light Green / Light Blue
• Add Potash mordant (pH12) = Light Yellow-Salmon

Method:

• Pour boiling water over the leaves then leave for 1 hour
• Strain and squeeze the leaves and heat the liquid to 50ºC
• Gently add 1 tsp Soda-Ash (pH9) and pour the liquid to one bowl to another for 5 mins (oxidise) 
• Reheat to 50ºC
• Add Thiox (Reducing Agent), cover with cling-film and leave for 45 mins
• Slowly add the fabric without making any bubbles = Yellow then changes Blue
• Crush the seeds and add gum tragacanth = Blue

Further reference to woad recipes are listed in Jill Goodwin’s Dyer’s Manual book.

Method:

• Stamens are carefully collected using a feather from 9 flowers and heated in 100g of water then reduced to 10g of dye (small sample quanity).
• Sieved through a fine mesh adding 1g isinglass (fish-glue) to the warm dye = Blue
• Flowers are heated with Alum mordant (pH2) and reduced = Purple / Red

Method:

• Heated a handful of ripe berries in clear vinegar
• No mordant used on chamois leather (pH4) = Blue-Black
• No mordant on cotton = Blue
• Add Tin mordant to the dye (pH2) = Pinkish-Purple

Method:

• 40g of ripe berries are heated in 100g of water and 7g of alum, then reduced to 30g. 
• The dye is then sieved through a fine mesh producing a = Purple dye
• 8g of dye is mixed with 3g chalk and 1g of Tin mordant (This produces a Blue paint) 
• Dye mixed with chalk and Tin mordant = Blue Paint
• Dye mixed with Italian gesso and Tin mordant = Dark Blue Paint

Method:

• Macerate the ripe berries for 2 days in water and clear vinegar (2:1)
• Add Alum mordant (pH2) = Blue / Purple
• No mordant = Lighter Purples / Grey Blues

Method:

• Squeeze the juice from ripe elderberries then add 2g of juice to 1g of Tin mordant
• Mix well then add 2g of finely crushed egg shell with 1g of white vinegar
• Finally add another 1g of egg shell and mix well until it becomes a = Blue Paint
• 6g extracted elderberry juice can be mixed with 3g china clay, 1g of Tin mordant and 4g of alum
• This produces a = Purple Paint 

Method:

• Crush the berries (pH7) with some water-vinegar 
• Add Alum mordant (pH2) = Blues / Violet Blue / Purple
• Add Tin mordant (pH1) = Reddish Purples