DoomsdaysCW<p>And yeah, I've seen urine used for various purposes, but not as a dye mordant... Not for the squeamish!</p><p>20 Natural Dye Plants You Can Forage and Grow in Your Garden</p><p>By Catherine Winter</p><p>Excerpt: "Would you prefer to go a super-natural route, since you’re using plant-based dyes? If you’re aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are also all-organic mordant options as well.</p><p>Natural Mordants:</p><p>- Sumac: Simmer fresh sumac twigs for about an hour, strain out the twiggy bits, and reduce the liquid by half<br>- Urine: human urine is ideal for mordanting, but you’ll need to age it. Collect it in a jar and allow it to age for several days. [🤢 ]<br>- Salt: You can use standard table salt as a mordant, but Kosher salt can yield some of the strongest color-fastness. [I've used that]<br>- Vinegar [That too]<br>- Wood ash lye</p><p>"You’ve probably noticed that some of these are alkaline, and some are acidic. Alkaline mordants tend to work best with plant-based fibers like cotton, linen, and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/hemp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>hemp</span></a>. In contrast, acidic mordants like vinegar are better with animal fibers like <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wool" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wool</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/alpaca" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>alpaca</span></a>, and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/angora" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>angora</span></a>.</p><p>"Note that if you use an acidic mordant and your colors still run, you can set the color by dipping the fabric in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. In contrast, if you’ve used an alkaline mordant like lye or baking soda [another one I've used], an acidic solution will strip the color rather than setting it." [Been there, done that!]</p><p>Learn more [includes a list of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DyePlants" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DyePlants</span></a> -- does not include <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BlackWalnuts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BlackWalnuts</span></a> though]: <br><a href="https://morningchores.com/dye-plants/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">morningchores.com/dye-plants/</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarPunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SolarPunkSunday</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DIY" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DIY</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FiberArts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FiberArts</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NaturalDyes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NaturalDyes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Gardening" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Gardening</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Foraging" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Foraging</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Goldenrod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Goldenrod</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Elderberries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Elderberries</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Chicory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Chicory</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Beets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Beets</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Onions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Onions</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RedCabbage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RedCabbage</span></a></p>