Natural dyeing is a traditional art I've been eager to introduce to my kids. From start to finish, the process touches on things like foraging, chemistry, and design. It also is a perfect link to different cultures around the world.
Not to mention that it's simply magical. How fantastic it is to go out on a hike, gather up a few leaves or nuts, then come home and start brewing up a beautiful batch of color. Kids get to witness alchemy, that unfolds over time as they start to understand principles of chemistry.
Our entry point was a very simple one - acorns. These little guys are easy to forage, are safe for little ones to interact with, and take very little time to process - the perfect toddler and preschool activity. They also provide the opportunity for more advanced dyeing techniques, which I will touch on.
So here's our project from start to finish:
GATHERING
Our first step was foraging for acorns. During our outdoor adventures, we've been randomly picking up acorns for a while, but on this trip, we gave ourselves a gathering goal. During one morning, the three of us gathered enough acorns to fill our dye pot a third of the way.
I must admit, that this wasn't the simplest task. It seemed that whenever Rémy was very productive gathering, Sierra was equally busy taking acorns out to play with and throw. And then as Sierra got serious, Rémy decided to use his acorns to create some kind of a cache under large roots. But hey - with a toddler and preschooler, that's all part of the fun!
JUST ADD WATER
Once we got home, we gave the acorns a thorough washing before taking them inside. Most of the acorns we collected did not have caps, so we pretty much rinsed the dirt off and called it good.
We dumped our collection into a large enamel pot that I found at a local second hand store. Then we added water enough to fill the pot two thirds of the way up. Once the the water was in, I placed the pot on the stove and turned it on low every morning and evening while I cooked. It warmed the water up, but I never let it boil.
The vat of acorns sat on the stove, periodically getting heat, for four days. We basically created a giant cup of tea.
STRAIN
After four days, the water had turned very dark. It was ready. We took it outside and the kids helped me strain out all of the acorns so that we would be left with just the dye. Sierra loved the leftover acorns. They were shiny and smooth - a perfect sensory treat.
DESIGNING AND PREPARING
I purchased a pack of white cotton napkins. We created some designs using a few different shibori methods. After doing a couple according folds, we used string, clothespins, and large clips to try to create different designs. If you are interested in exploring some of the techniques, you can check out some informative posts here or here.
After testing out a first batch, we decided that our clothespin design was the best, so we went forward with making a set of matching napkins.
Once we had bound our napkins, we took time to prepare the fabric for going into the dye vat. Here's where using acorns makes things really easy. The tannins that make acorns inedible without processing, are perfect for helping color hold to fabric. So whereas with most dyes you would need to take an extra step of using a mordant, with acorns you don't.
We did take the step of soaking the napkins in water for a half hour. Getting the fabric completely wet provided a more even distribution of the dye.
DYEING
The kids then placed the wet napkins into our acorn dye. Witnessing the immediate change in color - that was the moment of magic. And I let them enjoy dunking the fabric with a spoon a few times before walking away to let everything rest. At this point, I turned the burners on again and gently heated up our giant tea pot for an hour.
When we took everything out, I would describe the color as dark tan. With washing, the color faded into a lighter version of itself. It would be a lovely color for a linen dress.
EXTRA CREDIT
The color was lovely, but having come this far, I thought it would be nice to play around with another chemical reaction - one that darkens things up considerably.
Creating an iron bath is not an activity that children can directly participate in, and anyone who uses iron for dyeing should be well prepared. Here's a post that spells things out nicely. But even though I couldn't let the kids do the actual dyeing, I was able to place the bath next to a window and put on a color changing show for them.
The end result was a medium grey with purple undertones, and the clothespin design showed up quite nicely. Overall, the kids helped create a set of napkins that will make the perfect gift for someone come the holidays.
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