Native American Dyes

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14 Comments

Comment by kimberly baxter packwood on October 30, 2009 at 10:15pm

I've done that numerous times with my quills and they just don't take the dye, I'm not sure why. Did you get your quills fresh from the animal? I hear this does make a difference.

Comment by Desert Star on September 13, 2009 at 12:51am

I just let them soak a few minutes in hot soapy water (dish soap) and stirred them around with my hands several times. Then I drained them and did it again about 3 times, till they looked pretty clean.
I'll post some photos...

Comment by kimberly baxter packwood on September 12, 2009 at 5:59pm

No you don't cut the barbs off the end, I've never heard of using vinegar to set the color. Quills are quite tricky to dye a lot of it depends on the critter itself and how dirty the quills are. How are you washing your quills? Do you have photos of your quills to show what you've acquired to date?

Comment by Desert Star on September 12, 2009 at 5:13pm

So, do you cut the barbs off of the quills before dyeing? I've tried both ways but it seems to take forever to dye them without snipping at least one of the ends. Also, when adding vinegar or a mordant to help set the color, would you add it in the begining, during or at the end? I'm definitely a beginner lol

Comment by kimberly baxter packwood on September 12, 2009 at 4:33pm

Yes it's about the book, I couldn't get the website to come up last night, the site you posted in your comment. Was it just the one book or did she have more? Just curious since the link didn't open. Yes email me the link if you can.

Kimberly

Comment by Dorie van Dijk on September 12, 2009 at 3:39pm

Hi Kimberly, which link do you want to know - if it is about the book, I can send you the pdf-file by mail or (11,8 MB) or just uploading here - the link where it was from seems to disappear and I cannot find a ebook link..

Comment by kimberly baxter packwood on September 11, 2009 at 11:47pm

Dorie that link doesn't work do you have a name for the site so I can google it?

Comment by kimberly baxter packwood on September 11, 2009 at 11:46pm

Hi DS and welcome to the group. What exactly are you wanting to know?

Kimberly

Comment by Desert Star on September 11, 2009 at 11:30pm

I've been searching for native dyes for Quillwork and I found this page....

http://www.nativetech.org/quill/dyes.html

I believe these plant dyes also work with natural fabrics like wool and cotton.
The problem I have run into is not knowing the "recipe" or instructions on how to dye. Knowing which plant to use for what color is only a piece of the puzzle :)

Comment by GOPI KANTA GHOSH on August 30, 2009 at 5:18am

I will try to give you the recipe...I will have to locate it...

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