With the launch of our new Spring colours for our Buckwheat cushions this week we caught up with artisan and seam-stress Louise Richards in the Charente to talk about how she has fallen in love with the art of natural dye, vintage linen and the great outdoors - all of which collide with her seamstress skills to produce our beautiful well-being cushions here at BOTANY FRANCE. 

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"If you are looking for a new creative hobby which gives you the opportunity to venture outdoors and get some fresh air and at the same time search for of all you need to make something beautiful for very little expense other than a little time and patience, then botanical dyeing may for you! When I make my dyes I tend to experiment with whatever is readily available at the time. I am very fortunate that I live in deepest rural France where there is a wealth of flowers, fauna and barks on my doorstep but even if you are a city dweller there are plenty of natural things you can use, many of which you may even find in the composting bin! such are the opportunities presented by this art. I think if you are going to give it a go, then one of the best results may be from Yellow Onion Skins (Instead of putting them in the compost bin just save up the paper part of the onions until you have enough to fill a large saucepan). I keep all my dyeing utensils separate from your everyday kitchen ones  as some of the pigments and the mordents used in the dyeing process can be toxic. Charity shops or vide greniers (flea markets) here in France are ideal for buying second hand pots and strainers which are perfect for dyeing.Having practiced this beautiful craft of colour for a while I continue to be enchanted by what nature presents and the colours of each season as it passes. I am completely hooked!

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To start cover your onion skins with water and let them simmer in a saucepan for about an hour. Avoid letting the water boil if you can. Afterwards just leave them to steep- I usually leave them overnight and what you should see is a lovely rich ochre colour, although the beauty of dyeing is that every dye is different and can produce a variety of results in a range of colours. When choosing your cloth, natural cloths made from cotton, wool or linen are usually the best and I always use vintage cloth – old linen sheets, tea towels, towels etc give good results. Its great for the earth too and sustainable! Be careful with wool and knitted fabric as it may shrink and you could end up with felt.

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Your cloth will need to be mordanted – this means that the cloth needs to be treated with an agent to help the dye to fix to the cloth.  There are various things that you can use and it would be wise to research which one you think is best for you as some can be toxic. I use soya milk which is less effective as a fixative but is easier to use and of course - more eco-friendly. I run the dry cloth through clean water, rinse and then leave the cloth to soak in the soya milk for a time usually overnight, the cloth should then be dried out and left to cure for some time, around a week - but if your impatient like me you can use it before. Once this process is complete, the cloth is ready to put in your dye bath!

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Now you are ready for your cloth to receive the dye! Its fun to experiment with different times to achieve various effects. In general the longer you leave a colour in its bath the stronger or darker the final colours, however this is not always the case. Once you have your desired colour then rinse and gently wash the cloth, often the fabric may not have dyed evenly but I think that this adds to the authenticity of your finished hand dyed item. Hang your cloth out to dry and when it has done it’s now ready to use for your project – some dye may be lost in subsequent washing but this too is normal.

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One really helpful tip that I often suggest, is to cut some small pieces from your cloth so that you can test them at various stages and keep as samples i.e. After 1 hour, 2hours etc until you have a colour you like. (yellow onion skins give a lovely orange colour) As some of the dye colour will be lost when it is washed after the process this will also give you a good idea of the colour you are likely to end up with. Be warned though some soap may affect the colour of your cloth too so this is another good reason for the tester pieces.

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As for your tester pieces, I always keep them, date them and catalogue how long they were in the bath and record them in my Dye Book – it is always a joy to look through it and to continue adding to it.There are many different methods of dyeing, this is mine and my advice would be just keep researching and practicing but above all have fun! The results will always be surprising and the effort will be worthwhile!

Let us know how you get on in the comments box."

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-Louise.

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