Dyes for the production of natural colours can be obtained from many plants. Here are some examples for these plant dyes!
Red
Ragwort, madder, black elder, beetroot, red cabbage with lemon juice
Purple
Beetroot with caustic soda (or baking powder), red cabbage
Orange
Henna, onion peel
Blue
Woad (indigo), red cabbage with caustic soda (or baking powder)
Green
Nettle, blackberry leaves
Yellow
Dyer's chamomile, birch leaves, yarrow, calendula
Brown
Black tea, dost
The plant components are boiled and the objects to be dyed are left to steep in it. In order for the colours to adhere in the long term, the fabrics must first be stained.
To do this, place them in a 90 °C alum solution (potassium aluminium sulphate) for one hour or in a mixture (1:4) of cold water and acetic acid clay (aluminium diacetate) for at least 8 hours.
Always wear protective gloves when handling these substances!
For the production of colours for paintings or wall paints, colour pigments must be obtained and mixed with a carrier mixture (e.g. fat or starch mixture). Mineral pigments are usually used, e.g.:
White
Limescale, zinc oxide, lead carbonate
Red
Iron oxide, lead oxide (minium)
Blue
Turquoise, ultramarine
Yellow
Lead chromate
Sources:
This article was translated from German.
Pickling and dyeing with plant dyes: Eberhard Prinz: "Färberpflanzen", Schweizerbart, 2014
