4. Biofabricating Dyes and Materials#

Since I tried both dyeing plant/animal based yarn and making bio plastic last year (I will add the documentation from last year to here late), I would like to try something different this time. Dyeing leather! The base ingredient for the dye this time is Butterfly Pea Flower, which is known for producing beautiful purple tea. The Butterfly Pea Flower tea is also known for changing colour between blue to red depand on the ph value.

Also! Making Amadou Mushroom Felt from Hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius)!

Research#

• Microwave Dye Extraction for Butterfly Pea Flower
• Dyeing for Vagitable Tanned Leather

Useful links#

Gallery#

Brewing the butterfly pea tea. One soaked in just cold water for a day, one microwaved for 120 seconds, and the result is quite similar. (Defineatly gonna do the microwave method from now on.)

Colour changed with baking soda (left) and vinegar (right). (Diluted with water to see the colour change.)

After applying the dye twice.

Freshly foraged Fomes fomentarius. Now Soaking in wahsing soda, and ready to be processed in a week.

Things left to do#

-Finish Documentation

-Make Amadou Mushroom Felt

-Sealing the dyed leather

-Test for light wash

-Add document from last year

Video#

Files#