This year we're heading "back to the land" and looking for dye sources on our residential lot. This time I'm solar dyeing, using the calendula flowers that I grew from seed. I planted the seeds back in April (see Seeds to Dye For), and then gave an update on the progress (July Check In). All through the bloom cycle, I deadheaded the flowers just past their prime, and dried them on a tray. We're finally ready to dye!
Several months ago a YouTube viewer asked if I had ever tried solar dyeing. I had not, but it was on my list to try. This experiment is for you! Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, fall is when we get our hot, sunny weather. It is the perfect time to try solar dyeing. I've read a number of articles on the subject, and put together a procedure to try.
Calendula officinalis is an annual flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, but is grown all over the Europe, England, and North America, as well as in southwestern Asia, Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean.
The flowers are yellow or orange and grow on 30 inch branched stalks. The plant is aromatic and the petals are edible, often served in salads. My research indicates that the flowers produce dye in shades of honey, gold oranges, light browns, and vibrant yellows.
Yellow and orange calendulas
Since this is an experiment, I'm only going to dye two dishtowels. As usual, I prepared the fabric by scouring, mordanting in oak gall, and then in an alum mordant as a brightener. The weight of the fabric is 4.9 ounces (154 grams). I collected 1.3 ounces of dried calendula flowers (36 grams), which is about 23% WOF. That may not be enough (most sources recommend equal quantities of fabric and floral dye stuff), but we'll see what happens with time in the calculation.
Dried calendula flowers
Supplies
I gathered the calendula flowers throughout August, and dried them on a tray lined with paper towels. Additional supplies for the project include:
NOTE: For safety, use a face mask and rubber gloves.
Solar Dyeing
Pre-soak the prepared fabric in a bucket of lukewarm water for 20–30 minutes. This will help the mordants and natural dyes distribute more evenly. For a more splotchy, mottled appearance, skip this step.
Soak prepared fabric
Add warm water to the jar, to about 1/3 full. Add 2–3 teaspoons of mordant per 100 grams of fabric, and stir to dissolve. I added 3 teaspoons of alum for 154 grams of fabric. I'm not sure this is necessary, since the fabric is already treated with alum, but adding alum to the dye bath seems to be a typical step in instructions for solar dyeing with flowers.
Layer the petals and fabric
Squeeze the water out of the fabric, and add the dye stuff and fabric to the jar. I added 1.3 ounces of dried calendula blossoms, layered with the fabric, and used my stir stick to push petals down around the sides of the jar. Optionally, I could have contained the petals in a nylon or fine net bag. I could have also added ammonia or vinegar to alter the pH level of the water.
Distribute petals with a stir stick, and top off with water
To finish, add water until the jar is filled to the top. Allow the contents to settle, and top off the jar with more water if it does. Repeat this process until the water level remains at the top. Put the lid on your jar. It's a good idea to label it, especially if you have multiple dye projects.
A jar full of summer
Place the jar in a sunny spot and leave it alone for a week or as long as you want. I let the fabric soak for three weeks. Rotate your jar and rock it back and forth a few times a week to distribute the color more evenly (or you can leave the jar alone and see what happens).
Fabric after three weeks of soaking
Pour dye and fabric into a bucket
Remove the fabric from the jar (with gloved hands) and place the fabric in a bucket. Squeeze out the excess water, and rinse until the water runs clear. If there is any color left, you can save the dye for another project.
Rinse fabric until the water runs clear
Air dry fabric
Rinse the fabric in the washing machine and hang to dry. Two weeks later, wash fabric with Synthrapol, and hang to dry.
We're in the late-summer-to-fall transition here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Temperatures range between a comfortable mid-70 degrees to a hot mid-80 degrees during the day. Everything is bone dry and covered in dust, since we haven't had rain for months. The soil is like a brick. But the mornings and evenings are fairly cool now; the light has changed (more slanted and golden); and you can feel a subtle change in the air.
Late summer solar dyeing
End-of-summer flowers in fall colors
Lady bug visitor
Hot air balloon puzzle
Wood supply
Hummingbirds welcome
Ready for fall planting
Leaf beetle artwork
Pampas grass up close
Inexplicably, one starts thinking about soups and stews and roast chicken; inside projects; and the holidays ahead (but comfortably in the future). It's time to clean up the yard; put away summer gardening projects; and prep the raised bed for fall greens. The rainy season is ahead. Fall is definitely in the air!
Back in April, I sowed seeds for a few dye plants in containers (see Seeds to Dye For). The calendula seeds (Calendula officinalis) have already run their course. I've collected and dried blossoms for a dye project, and am drying a few seeds for the birds and for planting. Now the coreopsis seeds (Coreopsis x hybrida) are coming into their own. Their yellow and red faces are quite cheerful, and provide great transition color as fall approaches.
Coreopsis x hybrida
According to Botanical Colors, coreopsis flowers produce a bronzy-orange dye, and a more reddish shade with a pinch of soda ash added to the bath. Sounds lovely, but so far I'm not sure the flower yield will be enough for much of a dye project. I'll still collect and dry the flowers as they pass their prime, and see what happens!
Tall, lanky coreopsis
Heliotropic faces following the sun
My plants are quite tall and lanky, with a feathery, tiered leaf pattern that is quite lovely. They must be heliotropic, as their flower heads all face in one direction. I haven't seen any butterflies so far, but many insects pause on their flowers, including a tiny lady bug that was about the same size as the flower bud.
Ladybug rests on the bud (a little blurry, but so cute I couldn't resist)
We recently added wind chimes to the garden. Its rich tones add a gentle, soothing musical element, almost like hosting a small private symphony. The tones may even dampen some of the traffic noise from the nearby highway.
Every once in a while a breeze kicks up, and the birds around the water dish pause from drinking or bathing to listen. They keep coming back, so it must be an acceptable sound. That might change as we move into fall and winter, and experience big winds.
In the meantime, we can enjoy the symphony in the garden.
A mature Chinese Elm grows in our front yard. It must be over 40 feet tall, and its long tails of small leaves provide wonderful dappled light and shade all through the day. Its nearby neighbor is the oak, and together they provide deep shade that cools our home in summer. Both trees came with the property, and were probably planted by the original owners.
Chinese Elm
Chinese elm or Lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is native to eastern Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea, and Vietnam. It is a small-to-medium tree that grows to 60 feet tall, with a mottled trunk of grays, browns and red. The single-toothed leaves are leathery and small. Here in the Bay Area the leaves are retained throughout the year, but in Europe and other places in North America they are typically dropped. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, and the fruit is a samara with a seed in the center.
Chinese elm and its oak companion
Our tree is infected with Anthracnose, a fungal disease that causes lesions on leaves, cankers on twigs and stems, and distorted limbs. When the disease infects the bark and encircles a branch, it dies. Periodically our tree drops a branch (see The Chinese Elm Drops a Branch). The frequency of limb drop seems to be increasing, and we can see more and more cankers with each drop.
Chinese elm leaves (color distorted due to seasonal fires)
Our arborist has worked valiantly to keep the tree as healthy as possible over the last 20-plus years, monitoring the progression of the disease and clearing out unhealthy vegetation. During that time we have enjoyed its graceful stance, cooling shade, and beautiful features. It will be a sad day when the tree is finally removed.
