Circular Economy: Material Flows and Sustainable Materials – Practical Applications

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

4.10

Textile Dyeing with Natural Materials: Alternatives to Fossil Fuel-Based Pigments

For this week’s assignment you’ll get try out the process of dyeing textiles with natural materials, with plenty of photo and video opportunities for your course portfolios.

If you have previous experience of dyeing or just want to challenge yourself, you can do a more advanced version of this assignment, like getting a specific pot for the dyeing, experiment with different plant materials, and cataloguing the process. At the same time it’s perfectly fine to do a faster, first-try version.

We’ve included two videos that detail the process – one is a more beginners guide in a Swedish context, and the other an Indian ‘Tie and Dye’ process.

The step-by-step of the assignment is fairly self-explanatory, include family members, friends or colleagues if you want to:

Pick out some leftover textiles at home (or work), like old T-shirts, or just buy second-hand clothing in light colors. One is enough, if you want to do more, great!
Gather the natural materials you want to use for the dyeing that will provide the actual colors, it can be anything still growing outside, leaves, twigs, or things you have in the fridge or freezer. Rusty nails and other more advanced options are also possible. Be safe and don’t use poisonous plants or toxic materials.
Follow the instructions in the videos below, or just search online for more detailed instructions.
Remember to document the process and end-product with photos and/or videos.

In the following video, a beginner’s guide to natural dyeing details essential materials, including a dedicated pot and scale, and the crucial preparation sequence: scouring, applying tannins for colorfastness, and mordanting. It also covers documenting results and using modifiers like iron.

This video demonstrates tie-and-dye (Bandhani), an Indian technique. It shows how to mark a cotton handkerchief, tie areas with gram seeds and thread, and then use turmeric to dye the textile, creating unique patterns.

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