Feature
●Four ounces of fine shavings and sawdust from the heartwood of the Osage Orange tree (maclura pomifera).
●Simmer in water to produce a beautiful natural yellow dye.
●Gives bright yellow shades on alum-mordanted wool, silk, and cotton.
●Made from furniture-grade Osage Orange heartwood--up to twice as strong as shavings from bark and small branches.
●Deep colors at just 25% weight-of-fabric (WOF). A 4-ounce package will dye up to a pound of fiber.
●Made in the USA! Your purchase supports a community wood-working studio in upstate New York.
Description
Shepherd Textiles Osage Orange Natural Dye
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A Midwestern ClassicShepherd Textiles Osage Orange Natural Dye comes from the heartwood of maclura pomifera, a hardwood tree native to Oklahoma and Texas. The Osage people valued the strong wood for making bows, while early settlers planted the thorny trees close together to make living fences. Osage Orange heartwood has a strong yellow-orange hue that comes from a dye compound called maclurin. The dye can be extracted from the wood simply by simmering it in water, and then applied to natural fibers for beautiful yellow shades. |
Bright, Clear YellowsOsage Orange gives a bright, clear, lightfast yellow on natural fibers that have been mordanted with alum. It can also be used without a mordant, although the results may tend toward pale lemon or yellow-orange shades. Alternately, an iron mordant will shift the color to olive green. Osage Orange can be successfully applied to both protein fibers (wool, silk, and alpaca) and cellulose fibers (cotton and linen), although in both cases a mordant is recommended to make the color brighter. |
Dye Up to a PoundOur Osage Orange contains fine shavings and sawdust collected from the heartwood of felled trees. It is rich in dyestuff and the small size of the shavings makes it easy to extract the color. It will give intense yellow shades with just 25%-30% weight-of-fabric (WOF). A four-ounce container is enough to dye up to a pound of fiber to a bright yellow, although the final shade will depend on the fiber type and the depth of mordanting. |
Basic Method for Golden Yellow
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1. Mordant with AlumFill dye pot with hot water. Measure out 12% weight-of-fabric (WOF) alum powder (multiply the dry weight of the fibers by 0.12 to get the correct amount of alum). Add alum to the dye pot and stir until dissolved. Place your fibers into the mordant bath and heat to 180F for one hour. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to cool to room temperature. For best results, steep the fibers overnight. After the fibers have been mordanted, remove and rinse in lukewarm water. They can be dyed immediately, or dried for future use. *Please read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) when working with metal mordants, and wear gloves and eye protection when handling mordant powders. |
2. Build the DyebathFill a dye pot with a few inches of water. Measure out 25%-30% weight-of-fabric (WOF) of Osage Orange sawdust and sprinkle into the dye pot. Heat water to 190F (a bare simmer) for an hour, then let cool to room temperature. This first extraction will get some (but not all) of the dye out of the wood. When cool, filter the dyebath into a holding container like another dye pot or a plastic bucket. Use an old t-shirt or a very fine mesh strainer to strain out the wood: if any shavings or sawdust are left in the final bath they can cause splotches on your fabric. Return wood shavings to the dye pot and repeat the extraction process two more times, combining the strained liquid. After the third extraction, dispose of the wood and pour the strained liquid into the dye pot. |
3. Simmer at 190FAdd your pre-mordanted fiber to the dye pot and heat to 190F. Maintain the heat for 1.5 hours, making sure to move the fibers around occasionally to make sure everything dyes evenly. If necessary, add more water so all the fiber can move around freely--it will not dilute the dye. After 1.5 hours, remove the dye pot from heat, cover, and allow to slowly cool to room temperature. Continue to uncover and stir every half hour or so to make sure the fibers are still dyeing evenly. |
4. Rinse and DryRemove the dyed fibers and hang up to dry somewhere out of direct sunlight. Choose a spot where dripping dye will not cause any damage. Letting the fibers dry before rinsing them will help the color set. After the fibers have dried, rinse them well with plenty of detergent. For best results, use a PH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol that is designed for rinsing dyed fabric. After rinsing, squeeze gently to make sure the water runs clear. Hang up to dry. |
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| Peruvian Cochineal | Wild Madder Extract | Osage Orange | Gardenia Seed | Madder Root | Indigo Leaf | |
| Highlights | Beautiful scarlets, maroons, and hot pinks. The highest grade of Peruvian cochineal, direct from a small farm in the high desert outside Arequipa. | Part of our line of natural dye extracts. Gives deep reds, including the intense crimson known as "Turkish Red." Wild-harvested and certified by G.O.T.S.. | Bright, clear yellows on all natural fibers, including cotton. Comes from the deep orange heartwood of a tree native to Oklahoma and parts of Texas. | A classic yellow dye from Korea, gardenia contains the same dyestuff as saffron for a fraction of the cost. Warm, bright yellows on all natural fibers. | The most important of the historical red dyes, madder is an incredibly powerful and complex dyestuff that can give all kinds of red colors and hues. | Grown in the USA, our dried and crushed indigo leaf is so fresh it can be used without a reduction vat--blend with ice water for sky blues on wool and silk. |
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| Alkanet Root | Walnut Hull | Red Sandalwood | Quebracho Wood | Kamala Fruit | Logwood Shavings | |
| Highlights | A source of soft lavender and lilac hues, alkanet is a complex root that is highly sensitive to PH. Shifts to red with a little acid and blue with an alkali. | Soft cappuccino browns and dark chocolate hues: walnut hulls can give all kinds of shades of brown. Ground in our studio from hulls gathered in Tennessee. | Rich brick reds and warm terracottas. Red Sandalwood is a rare dye that can be extracted with grain spirits to yield one of natures strongest red stains. | Warm red-browns on all fibers, including cotton. Quebracho is a dense South American hardwood full of tannins that can dye fibers with or without a mordant. | Bright orange and tangerine hues. From the bright red covering of a tropical fruit, kamala is one of natures most vibrant orange dyes, especially on wool. | Royal purple, midnight blue, even gray and black. Logwood is a Central American heartwood that gives a range of beautiful colors depending on the mordant. |