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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Dye Project: Dyer's Polypore

For this mushroom dyeing project, I'm using Dyer's Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii), which produces shades of yellow, gold, brown, orange, and olive green, depending on the material dyed and the mordant used. The best color is achieved using protein fibers like wool and silk.

Phaeolus schweinitzii is a polypore fungi (also called a bracket or shelf fungi). It may appear on tree trunks, or it may appear to be terrestrial when growing on underground roots or at the base of the host tree. The fruiting bodies are tannish with darker brown centers, and orange to pale margins on young specimens. As the fruiting bodies age, the pore surface turns from yellow to greenish yellow, the top becomes darker, and the yellow-brown flesh becomes harder and more wood-like. The pores bruise brown. The spores are white, elliptical, and smooth. The fungi is native to North America and Eurasia, and grows on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch. The species is inedible, bitter, and mildly toxic.


Mature Dyer's Polypore at Tilden Park in January


Note: if you live in North America, Phaeolus hispidoides is the most up-to-date name. Recent phylogenetic studies have determined that the classic Phaeolus schweinitzii is restricted to Europe and Asia, and North American populations are now split into distinct regional species like Phaeolus hispidoides (common name, New World Dyer's Polypore). Since this change is fairly new, I plan to use P. schweinitzii and Dyer's Polypore in this post. 


Key Supplies

I'm using my usual dye equipment, including a convection burner, a non-reactive stainless steel dye pot, candy thermometer, strainer, cheese cloth, various plastic pails and containers for soaking and rinsing, a digital kitchen scale, stir stick, a mild pH-neutral soap (such as Synthropol or Professional Textile Detergent), rubber gloves, and a face mask. Additional supplies and equipment:

  • Mushroom: Phaeolus schweinitzii - dried or fresh. I purchased one ounce (28 grams) of dried mushrooms from a supplier on Etsy (TheConstantForager). The recommended ratio of dye to fabric is 8% of Weight of Fabric (WOF). For example, 28 grams of silk (one ounce) would require 2.24 grams of Dyer's Polypore mushrooms (about .08 ounces).


Dried Dyer's Polypore mushroom

  • pH test strips: to test how acidic or alkaline the dye bath is.
    • The silk scarves each weigh 1 ounce or 28 grams (total of 2 ounces or 56 grams). Note that one of the scarves was mordanted in April 2022, so it will be an interesting test of how long mordant lasts!
    • The silk/wool blend scarf weighs .7 ounces or 20 grams.
  • The recommended ratio of dye to fabric is 8% of Weight of Fabric (WOF); in this case, 8% of 28 grams is 2.24 grams x 2 and 8% of 20 grams is 1.6 grams. I should be able to dye all three items with the 1 ounce / 28 grams of dried mushrooms.
  • pH Modifiers: You can easily shift the base yellow/gold colors using various mordants or additives as described below. I plan to only use fabric that is pre-mordanted with alum.
    • No modifier / Alum: bright yellows and golds.
    • Iron (Ferrous Sulfate): shifts colors to olive greens (use at 2% of fiber weight).
    • Alkaline shift: adding washing soda can increase the pH and darken the yellow.


Extracting the Dye

Extracting color from mushrooms is similar to extracting color from plants. Chop the mushrooms into pieces, cover with water and soak overnight, bring to a simmer, and then simmer to extract the color. The process is the same whether you're using fresh or dried mushrooms.


Break the fresh or dried mushrooms and stems into pieces


First, break the mushrooms into small pieces (stems and caps). Cover with water in a non-reactive pot, and soak overnight. Color was released into the water almost immediately, and the pH registered 6 (mildly acid).


Soak mushroom pieces overnight (color starts being released almost immediately)


Next, bring the temperature to about 140 to 160 °F. This process takes about 30-60 minutes. Then let simmer at about 140 to 160 °F for about an hour until the color leaches out. The foam on top of the dye has a yellowish tint to it. I let the mushrooms cool and soak overnight in the dye to extract as much dye as possible.


Dyer's Polypore dye bath after simmering for an hour

Straining out the mushrooms from the extracted dye


Strain out the mushroom solids using a sieve with cheese cloth. I obtained about two quarters of extracted dye. The pH still registered 6 at this time (mildly acid).


The extracted Dyer's Polypore dye - look at that color!


Dyeing the Fabric

Dyeing fabric with mushrooms is very similar to dyeing with plants. Bring the dye bath to a simmer, pre-soak the silk or wool fabric or fiber in warm water, add the fabric to the dye pot, and simmer. One caveat is to make sure the temperature difference is very similar when going from one pot to another. For example, plunging cold silk into a hot dye bath causes shock shrinkage, uneven color, and weakened fibers. Better to add the cold silk to a cooled dye bath.

Place the extracted dye in a clean non-reactive pot and insert the thermometer. The pH still registered 6  at this time (mildly acid).


The extracted dye has a orangey-gold-brown cast to it


Bring the temperature of the dye bath to 140 to 160 °F. This typically takes about 30-60 minutes. I brought the temperature to 160 °F. Let simmer. Dyer's Polypore is more forgiving than some mushroom dyes, but the dye bath should not boil. While the dye bath is coming to temperature, pre-soak your wool or silk in warm water. This will improve how the fabric takes up the dye.


Soaking the three silk and silk/wool scarves in warm water


Add the fabric to the simmering dye pot and stir to distribute evenly. Add more water to cover the fabric if necessary. This will not dilute the dye; it just ensures a better of distribution of the dye to the fabric.


Distribute the fabric for an even uptake of the dye


Let the fabric simmer for at least 15 minutes, or longer to get the desired color, keeping the temperature between 140 to 160 °F. I simmered one of the silk scarves and the silk/wool blend scarf for 15 minutes, and the other silk scarf (the one mordanted in 2022) for an hour.

Remove the fabric and let it cool down, so you don't shock the fibers. I'm using a clean food container that once help chicken parts. Once cooled, hang to dry. You could rinse in lukewarm water before hanging to dry, but I'm waiting to give the dye longer to bond with the fabric.


Top: simmered for one hour
Bottom: simmered for 15 minutes


Two weeks later, wash with a mild pH-neutral soap, such as Synthropol or Professional Textile Detergent, to wash out unbound dye. Air dry out of direct sunlight. The resulting color is a strong orangey-gold.


The Results

The final results of dyeing with Dyer's Polypore mushrooms were quite stunning. I love the strong orangey-gold color (and was pleased how well the silk scarf that was mordanted in 2020 performed). While researching the project, many dyers commented on how prolific the dye bath is, enabling the dyer to continue dyeing multiple objects. I dyed three objects, and felt I could keep going. Because of that I decided to keep the dye bath to use in a future dye project.


Left hanger: silk and silk/wool scarves (15 minute simmer)
Right hanger: silk scarf (1 hour simmer)

Store the dye for future projects


Learn More

  • Byrd, Margaret. "How to Make Natural Color from Dyer's Polypore". Color Quest, 2023. This video shows how to achieve different colors using Phaeolus schweinitzii and various mordants. https://youtu.be/_4adB4t4DpU
You can also use the online version of The Mushroom Color Atlas. Use the Index to filter for a specific fungus and see its batch notes and pigment studies (for example, Phaeolus hispidoides if you are in North America). This is a wonderful resource.
  • Dawson, Cheryl. "Dyeing Protein Fibers with Mushrooms". North American Mycological Association. Provides a synthesis of published information about dyeing with mushrooms (revised January 2015).
  • "How to Make Dye with Mushrooms: The Dyer's Polypore". Myra Made Color, December 17 2021. This video shows how to dye with Dyer's Polypore. https://youtu.be/T4TjnxFO3yw
  • McDonnel, Zoe. "How to Dye with Dyers Polypore / Phaeolus schweinitzii". Wildcraft Dyeing, 2020. In this video, a wildlife ecologist dyes yarn with Phaeolus schweinitzii. https://youtu.be/oeD4YQYq3tQ


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