Our first Challenge - Natural Dyeing using Solar Pots

Join Kate as she builds solar pots for dyeing. Using this simple technique you will have some beautiful naturally coloured yarns to start working with in the Autumn....on a future challenge! 

Before acid dyes became available, yarn was dyed using natural materials, including for those amazing historical tapestries we see in museums and stately homes. One intriguing aspect of natural dyeing is its subtlety. Unlike synthetic dyes, natural dyes often produce muted contrasts, particularly between light and dark shade. This subtlety encourages us to explore the rich interplay of warm and cool tones, as well as complementary contrasts, typically resulting in a harmonious mid-tone range. So we invite you to dye some of your own yarns using natural dyes, using a very simple technique, harnessing the power of the sun to create beautiful, unique hues.

To join in with this challenge you will need the following equipment:

• some glass jars with lids;
• some undyed weaversbazaar wool or silk yarn (or other undyed wool or silk yarns if you are keen to get going and have them already);
• some natural dyes
• natural soap or metapex (or similar) to wash and degrease the wool
• a mordant (eg alum)
• a couple of washing up bowls
• masking tape to label your jars
• plus water and sunshine!!

You can find a pdf which accompanies the video here

If you want to order some our undyed yarn, look here on our website.

Watch Kate as she shows you what to do, in a video available on Learnworlds - you can register for free here. To start, she looks at hachure as used in the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries, held at the V&A Museum (Victoria and Albert) in London, to give some context to the project. 

The links to the suppliers she mentions are:

Wingham Wool - https://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk

DT Crafts - https://www.dtcrafts.co.uk

Fiery Felts - https://www.fieryfelts.co.uk

Wild Colours - https://wildcolours.co.uk

Handweavers Studio - https://www.handweavers.co.uk 

Enjoy your dyeing, and please do get in touch if you have any queries (email enquiries@weaversbazaar.com)

Finally, remember to send images of what comes out of your dye pots for us to add to the Challenge Gallery! We look forward to seeing the glorious colours you have created!