Natural Dyeing with Turmeric
Turmeric Powder is a pretty common spice in the cabinet, and a powerful one at that. Which makes it my favorite natural dye to work with, as it is both easy and effective.
What you will need:
Turmeric
Soda Ash - to clean fabric, also known as a Scouring Bath
Alum - to bind lasting hues, also known as a Mordant
1 Stainless steel pot
Wooden Spoon
Gloves
Mask
Kitchen Thermometer
Measuring Cups/ Spoons
Kitchen Scale
100% Cotton Fabric
Scouring Bath
Begin by making a Scouring Bath. A Scouring bath is simply a deep cleaning to remove toxins. This step, while being extremely helpful, is not essential when dying for projects like beeswax wraps.
* You will be using half an ounce ( 15g) of soda ash for every 3.5 ounces (100 g) of fiber
1. Prepare the bath by filling a large stainless steal pot with water and bringing it a medium heat of 140F. Make sure you have enough water for your fabric to float freely.
2. While the water is warming, measure out your fabric using a kitchen scale and using the above equation, measure out your Soda Ash. In a separate bowl combine with 2 cups of warm water, allowing to dissolve before entering the bath.
3. Once your water has hit 140F you will add the Soda ash, stirring. Next, slowly add the fabric into the scouring bath and stir. Try to keep the temperature at around 140F for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove form heat and let cool to room temp.
4. While your fabric is cooling you can prepare your dye bath. With Turmeric you can usually choose from a glowing orange to a bright yellow depending on ratio of powder to fabric.
* 2 to 1 for glowing orange, 1 to 1 for a bright yellow.
5. Pick out your ideal saturation and measure out your Turmeric. Fill your stainless steal pot 3/4 full of warm water and add your turmeric. Bring to stove and put one r medium to high heat. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for approx. 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim the edges of the pot every 10 minutes to ensure the ground turmeric isn’t settling on the bottom.
6. Next fold up your material into different tie dye patterns. If you are interested in tie dying your fabrics click the link below for patterns.
7. After 40 minutes your dye bath should be bright yellow in color and ready to be used. Submerge your damp fabric into bath and turn the heat up to 180 degrees. Hold anywhere from 20- 50 minutes. The longer it is in the brighter and stronger the color will be. Use your spoon to rotate your fabric in the bath occasionally.
8. Turn the dye bath off and either remove fabrics or let cool in the bath overnight. Rinse in cool water and hand dry away from direct light.
See some of our turmeric in action — check out our Indigo + turmeric handmade beeswax wraps tutorial.