Natural dyeing is the art of taking organic materials, extracting color from those materials, and applying the color to fiber, yarn, or cloth. The color adheres to the fibers of the material and transforms it into a beautiful piece of art.

Natural dyes are somewhat unpredictable, and each one acts in unique ways. Some natural dyes are lightfast; they maintain their color even after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Some natural dyes are fugitive, meaning they will slowly fade over time.

The joy of dyeing naturally comes in the experimentation, the unknowns, the crafting of a color. It is an art form that takes patience and diligence, but also a free spirit and sense of creativity and flexibility.

Plants are full of life and interest. Not only does a plant grow from a tiny little seed, but then it helps to clean our air, develop fruits, veggies, or other eatables. For the natural dyer, it also opens a world of possibilities for color.

There are many techniques you can use to naturally dye fibers. Extracting color from plants using heat and then applying that color to fibers. Allowing the sun to work as your source of heat to extract and dye simultaneously. For cool dye baths, allowing it to sit in cool water for long periods of time. Bundling organic materials into a fabric bunch to allow the plant colors to seep into the fabric. Natural dyeing can be done in many different ways.

Natural dyes can be extracted from many different plants. Each plant produces a slightly different color and because they are growing things it can depend on the time of year and the health of the plant as well. Flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, bark, wood, stalks, nuts, and other aspects of trees, flowers, and shrubs have the potential to produce color.