This year we're experimenting with dye sources that grow on our small residential lot here in Oakland, California. This ties in with our "back to the land" theme for 2021 where we forage for materials from our own plot of land for projects. Last time we dyed with a self-seeded French Broom shrub, which produced a pale beige-almost-yellow dye (see Dye Project: French Broom).
Today I'm dyeing with cherries (Prunus spp.), picked from a self-seeded tree that grows by the curb. Sweet cherries originated in Asia Minor in the fertile areas between the Black and Caspian seas, and spread to England and North America via birds, colonists, missionaries, and settlers. Cherry trees (Prunus cerasus varieties) have been cultivated commercially in California for decades, and have naturalized in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their delicate pink blossoms are a beautiful part of our spring display
The red leaves and round petals of our street-tree cherry indicate that it is a “plum cherry” and not a “true cherry”. For now, I’m identifying it as a Prunus species.
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| Cherry (Prunus cerasus) Kohler - public domain |
My research indicates that the fruit yields a pink dye.
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| Our self-seeded cherry tree in blossom |
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| Later in the season with red leaves and fruit |
For this project I used basic dye equipment, and a well-ventilated workspace. Since cherries are also food, I decided in was safe to extract the dye in the kitchen. I thought it smelled delicious (like a cherry pie), but my husband found it quite overpowering. Keep in mind the sensibilities of those in your household! I used a soaking pot, a dye pot, a heat source, and a candy thermometer to keep the dye bath at a consistent temperature. I also used a strainer and cheese cloth to remove the cherries from the dye bath.
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| Indoor cooking for cherries (ventilated by a fan and open windows) |
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| Prepared fabric |
The Weight of Fabric was about 11 ounces (312 grams), which includes:
- 2 dish towels - 154 g (4.9 ounces)
- 2 napkins - 50 g (1.76 ounces
- 2 large handkerchiefs - 35 g (1.2 ounces)
- 2 small handkerchiefs - 20 g (.7 ounces)
- 1 dishwashing cloth 57 g (2 ounces)
The fabric was scoured and mordanted, using a gallnut mordant, followed by a bath of 15% WOF alum and 2% soda ash as a brightener. I collected about 23 ounces of cherries, so the WOF% for 11 ounces of fabric was about 209%. I gathered the cherries in early June, and used them right away.
The supplies for dyeing include:
- 23 ounces cherries
- 1/2 lemon (juice and rind)
- A gallon of water (plus more as needed)
- 11 ounces of prepared cotton fabric (scoured, gallnut mordant, and alum brightener)
NOTE: For safety, use a face mask and rubber gloves.
Extract Dye
First, extract the dye, using our basic process.
- Add water, cherries and lemon to the pot.
- Simmer for an hour.
- Soak cherries.
- Strain them.
Rinse the cherries to remove dust and insects. Add the cherries to a gallon of water in a stainless-steel pot. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon and its rind. Ideally, bring to 160 degrees, and simmer for an hour. My equipment isn’t that controllable, so I typically cook between 180-200 degrees. Your color results may differ if you can maintain the lower temperature.
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| Stir lemon juice and rind into the fruit |
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| Cook and then soak for three days |
Soak the cherries and lemon rind for three days. Strain the cherries out of the dye bath using cheesecloth. Return the dye bath to the stainless-steel pot. The resulting liquor is a nice red. I tested the pH to learn more. It registers a 3, which is quite acidic (and may be from the lemon).
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| Strain the fruit out of the dye bath |
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| Cherry-red dye bath |
Dye Fabric
Dye the fabric using our basic process.
- Add wet fabric to dye bath.
- Heat the dye bath and simmer for an hour.
- Soak fabric in the dye bath.
- Rinse and hang to dry.
Add wet, prepared fabric, and simmer for an hour, keeping the temperature between 180-200 degrees. Stir periodically to make sure the dye is distributed evenly. Let soak for an hour or overnight. For saturated color, I let it soak for three days. Look at that lovely pink.
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| Simmer fabric in the dye bath |
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| Rinse fabric in cool water |
Squeeze out excess dye from the fabric. Rinse the fabric in cool water until the water runs clear. Run the fabric through the washing machines' rinse and spin cycles, using cold water. Let the fabric air dry. Two weeks later, wash the fabric in a pH neutral soap, like Synthrapol, and hang to dry. The resulting color is beige, with a slight hint of pink in certain light.
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| Hang fabric to air dry |
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| Very pale pink dye results (or beige, depending on the light) |
During the dye process, some fabric seems to take color better than others, but all seem to lose color during the rinse cycle. This could be because the alum brightener was too weak, or that I need more cherries. I can try adjusting these factors, but maybe I’ll make a cherry pie instead!
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| Cherry pie! |
Learn More
- Cherry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry
- History of Cherry Trees: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/history-of-the-cherry-trees.htm
- California Cherries (not secure, so am not including the link): http://www.calcherry.com/facts/
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