plant dyes
Nature-derived fabric tints
Plant dyes are colorants extracted from botanical sources—leaves, roots, bark, berries, or flowers—used to color textiles, food, or other materials.
Before synthetic dyes dominated in the nineteenth century, all dyes came from natural sources: indigo from leaves, madder red from roots, saffron yellow from crocus stigmas.
She used plant dyes to achieve softer, more muted tones in her weaving.
- indigoPlant-derived blue dye
- madderMore irate
- woadBlue dye from leaves
- turmericYellow rhizome spice
- saffronCrocus-derived golden spice
henna · mordant · vat · fiber · fabric · textile · natural · organic · eco friendly · pigment · color wheel · extract · roots · bark · leaves · berries · lichen · onion skins
- plant productslumber, cotton fiber, fiber, starch, cellulose
- ancient cosmeticskohl, galena, malachite, ochre, red ochre
- color historyochre, indigo, madder, cochineal, lapis lazuli
- dyesmadder, woad, indigo, dyestuff, alizarin
- indigenous lifewaysthree sisters, tribal customs, pemmican, wild rice, fishing practices
- Native Textileshand weaving, Navajo rugs, Navajo blankets, weavers, looms
plant dyescochineal
Insect-sourced red colorant
Tyrian purple · carmine · ochre · sepia
plant, plants, planted, planting, planter, planters, plantation, plantations, implant