Natural dye for osnaburg shirt

[TheSimpleMan]

I have an osnaburg work shirt I want to dye. Not really sure what color yet, wanted to see what others have done, but I do fancy a deep red or green. I know Rit will work just fine, but I'd rather use the materials and process in the old way. I'm told it comes out much more subtle than the bright colors of modern dye too.

Anyone have suggestions for what to use as a natural dye? Pictures get you bonus points! :bow:

 

[JD Peppergrinder]

I hope this is what you're looking for. It's very informative.
http://pioneerthinking.com/crafts/natural-dyes

There are items on this list I didn't think would work.

 

[SgtErv]

Our clothing/fabric expert uses natural dyes, and I was able to overhear her explaining the process to a gentleman...

-She said that one must wash and rinse the fabric a few times to remove all traces of something called 'sizing' - it's a substance that newly made shirts all have in them. Rule of thumb is when they don't smell new anymore, you're good to go.

-The key to even dying is constantly stirring/agitating the garment. It's the motion that allows for the dye to adhere to the fabric.

Just overheard these tidbits. She spins, weaves, dyes, makes all the clothing at a recreated 18th century fort in addition to being in a co-op devoted to raising sheep and all things wool.

 

[Tallswife]

There are many choices for natural reds. Greens are a bit more difficult to obtain since there are no natural green dyestuffs. Most greens are obtained by dying indigo and overdying with a yellow.

Fiber must be free of sizing as you said above. Most dyes require a soaking in plain water or water with a mordant for a minimum of 24 hours to ensure that all the fibers are saturated. Many dyes require some form of a mordant to set the color correctly. Different mordants will give different shades.

Colonial Williamsburg FB page has several videos of their dying process as well as a really nice book they published of natural dyes.

 

[Tallswife]

Ok, I lied (my bad) about the greens, just found a listing for them I have never seen before. This is a really extensive listing of dye plants and their colors.
natural dye list

Dharma Trading has a few dye plants for sale if you cant harvest your own. They also carry mordants
Dharma Trading

A word on Rit dyes, from my own experience of using them. They don't last. They don't have good colorfastness, and they tend to bleed in the laundry. If your going to use a synthetic dye, I strongly suggest using an acid dye, such as Procion or Jacquard dyes. Very colorfast, don't fade, and a huge color spectrum to chose from. Don't let the term acid dye scare you, they are really easy to use and don't actually have acid in them. Dharma Trading carries both brands also.

Here's the link to the Colonial Williamsburg historic trades FB page. You might have to scroll a bit to find the dying video's.
Colonial Williamsburg

I'll be dying my longhunter frock soon in walnut hulls to get a mid shade of brown. I'll take pics and do a post on natural dying for everyone.

 

[Black Hand]

Madder will give a red-brown color.

 

[BillinOregon]

Peppy that is a very useful Web site. Thanks for that link.

 

[tenngun]

I was a long time member of the walnut hull brigade. Not a bad dye, and hc. Of corse I have a dyed onsborg shirt.
Striped and checked shirts were sold in the 18th century and colored shirts would become more popular in the 19th. During the WTBS border irregulars loved their colored and decorated shirts. After the war we see the bib front and other such styles.
Keep in mind that up till the WBTS shirts were underware. Weskits covered the shirt except the sleeves. A man outside in hot weather, a seaman carpenter blacksmith ect may have an exposed shirt. Although before hitting the public house for s pint of bitters after work he would slip on his coat.
A man in a shop would likely keep a weskit on, puting on a coat before talking with a lady, or even a stranger. Most shirts were white because none but the owner and his family would ever see his shirt, his version of tighty whiteies

 

[Swamp Rat]

The thinks we learn on a simple question is amazing. I was very surprised to see Bamboo give Turkey red on the list.

 

[Tallswife]

Pretty amazing what nature can do!

 

[TheSimpleMan]

Thank you all for your responses, great amount of info and historical knowledge. I'm going to start this project soon, will post pictures when I get them.

I look forward to seeing the frock, Tallswife.

 

[BillinOregon]

Tenngunn, I have to admit to an addictive fondness for walnut hull dye, even after all the debunking and fun-poking. It simply pleases my eye.

 

[Brad McCaffree]

Me too. Plus the color naturally blends with the environment. Natures camo, if you will. And... the tannins on leather are a plus.

 

[coloradoclyde]

So, I just picked up this Shaker cookbook. (I posted about it in the cooking section)
Anyway, it has about 20 pages of dye recipes from the 1700-1800s.

Don't recall seeing mention of walnut hulls.....But, logwood is mentioned quite often.
Black, blue, brown, green and red seemed to be the most popular.
I wouldn't use some of the recipes though...they contain things like sugar of lead and red lead

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I think for anybody reading this thread and looking for a natural dye, they might want to double-check on what plants are available for the area that they are portraying or , geographically located. Meaning if one is say in England or Germany (where a few of our members reside), but are portraying a fellow of the Shenandoah Valley, one might want to research what was available to folks in that valley..., or wherever one is "from", plus what was available in trade. So Bamboo or avocado, or pomegranate might not be good ideas for dyes for an outfit from the 18th, or even first half of the 19th century.

check on mordant's too, as one of the links shows hanks of multicolored wool..., and as any of the craft dyers will tell you, wool works one way with some dyes, linen another, and cotton another. :wink:

Madder commonly was imported from Asia, and gave a brick-ish red color BUT..., a lot of it today comes from Afghanistan, AND it's a root that gives a redder dye the longer it is aged. The war in Afghanistan caused a lot of madder-root to sit in storage until the owners felt it safe to return home, so NOW what one gets when ordering Madder-root for dying from eBay is stuff that produces a deeper red, with a bit more pink in some cases. Not quite the color one needs. :shocked2: It was a preferred red because it was cheap, so was used for the fabric on British enlisted soldiers' coats.

Cochineal was also a popular though expensive red dye in the 18th century. It gives a scarlet color, and was used for British officer's uniforms.

Green as mentioned in a previous post, does come from indigo followed with yellow, BUT indigo dying is a rather elaborate process beyond simply dipping the cloth in a dye bath, or dipping the cloth in a mordant, followed by the dye bath. There are some sources for indigo that have been partially processed so one may find it easier to do.

Here's another link on dyes, but it gives some information as to the sources most often used by Native Americans, which may be a clue as to which natural dyes were most commonly found. USDA/US Forestry Service: Native Plant Dyes.

LD

 

[Tallswife]

Great info LD! Thank you!

 

[KLWeaver]

I agree. It's just such a beautiful color after dyeing.

 

[Brad McCaffree]

I can't quote chapter and verse, but black walnuts have been used for ages for dying. I have used them for canvas, linen and leather. Readily available here. I have also used mulberry and cone flowers for parfleche painting.