4. BioChromes

Research

Billy Nou🌸 is a natural dyer and slow fashion designer who focuses on sustainable fashion practices. Her work emphasizes the use of eco-friendly materials and natural dyeing techniques, transforming textiles with colors derived from plants and other organic sources. As a slow fashion advocate, she promotes mindful consumption, ethical production, and the preservation of traditional craftsmanship. Her creations often reflect a deep connection to nature, showcasing unique textures and earthy tones that celebrate the beauty of natural materials. billy nou

Colors Of Nature: Connecting Science and Arts

The article, Colors of Nature: Connecting Science and Arts Education to Promote STEM-Related Identity Work in Middle School Girls, explores an educational program that combines science and art to engage middle school girls in STEM. It discusses how integrating artistic methods into science projects—such as dyeing with natural pigments and experimenting with biochromes—can promote curiosity and build confidence in STEM skills. The program aims to inspire future STEM interests by providing hands-on experiences that connect scientific concepts to everyday materials and creativity text

Day 1, Learning and prepping fabric

On my first day, I conducted research on biochromes and natural dyeing, Beginner’s Guide to Natural Dyes for Fabric and Yarn

Materials

Materials	Quantities
Yarns	2 pieces
Skin Red Onion	1 kg
Water	1 L
Source Pan	1
Spoon	1
Knife	1

Procedures

1. Boil water, then add skin onions
2. Boiled the mixture for of skin onion and water about 30min
3. Threw yarns in a pot with water
4. Boil mixture of yarns and onion skin about 1hr
5. Rinsed well and hang dried

Step	Ingredients	Quantities	Time	Temperature
Boil water	Water	1 L	10 min	100°C (boiling)
Add skin onions	Skin Red Onion	1 kg	-	100°C (boiling)
Boil onion skin and water mixture	Skin Red Onion, Water	1 kg, 1 L	30 min	100°C (boiling)
Add yarns to pot	Yarns	2 pieces	-	100°C (boiling)
Boil yarns and onion skin mixture	Yarns, Skin Red Onion, Water	2 pieces, 1 kg, 1 L	1 hr	90-100°C (boiling)
Rinse and hang to dry	Yarns	2 pieces	-	Room temperature

preparation of skin onion

The picture shows the onion skins I’ll be using.

Day 2 preparation and conducting an experiment

These onion skins will be boiled for 30 minutes to extract their colors

Onion skins contain various beneficial compounds, including antioxidants. These compounds have been associated with potential health benefits, such as reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and supporting immune function, that's why we boil onion skin before using it.

This picture shows the boiled onion skins, ready to be used for dyeing.

I chose these yarns because the white color, being the lightest and achromatic (without hue), provides a neutral base, while the silver color, with its sleek, metallic shine, adds a solid, visually striking contrast associated with shades of gray.

Result after Experiment

this picture shows the color of white yarn after experiment

this picture shows the color of silver yarn after experiment but i did not get the color I want for white yan

Really Dyeing is a journey full of unexpected surprises, and each step offers something new. From preparing the dye bath to watching the fibers absorb color, the process unfolds in a series of transformations. Initially, it’s all about gathering the natural dyes, understanding the plants or materials used, and preparing them to release their pigments. The fibers are often pre-treated, or mordanted, to ensure the dye adheres well, enhancing color vibrancy and fastness. Once the material is submerged in the dye bath, time, temperature, and patience play crucial roles; the dye slowly seeps in, creating unique shades and textures. After rinsing and drying, the final result may vary in ways that defy prediction, revealing unexpected patterns, textures, or color tones that make each piece one-of-a-kind. This unpredictability is part of the beauty of natural dyeing, where each outcome is a testament to the collaboration between maker, material, and nature.

# Advantages and Disadvantages of yarn natural dyeing

Advantages are their friendliness with human skin and health as stimulants in cure of some deceases and protection over microorganisms.

Disadvantages The colour pay-off may also not be right for all projects .

Conclusion

The use of natural dyes in the colouring of textile materials is gaining interest as a result of the stringent environmental regulations in textiles and apparel enforced by nations concerned with nature and health protection. People are being forced to choose natural dyes due to the toxicity and allergic reactions of synthetic dyes. Natural dyes are an environmentally friendly source of colouring agents. In addition to textiles, it is used to colour meals, medicines, and other goods. Although natural dyes are safe for the environment, skin-friendly, and eye-pleasing, they have very poor bonding with textile fibre materials and must be fixed on textile fibres using metallic colourants, some of which are not environmentally friendly. In order to create textiles that are entirely eco-friendly, more research is required on the use of natural dyes on various natural fibres.

Natural Dyeing with Red Cabbage

After my first experiment failed, I turned to red cabbage dye. Its rich pigment creates stunning pinks, purples, and blues, shifting with pH. Dyeing cotton was challenging, but using a mordant helped achieve deeper, lasting hues.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of red cabbage on yarn cotton:

Step	Description
1. Mordanting	Use a tannin-based pre-mordant (e.g., oak gall or tannin extract), followed by alum to improve color uptake on cotton.
2. Adjusting pH	Modify the dye bath’s pH: add vinegar for pinker tones or baking soda for blue to purple hues.
3. Heat and Timing	Simmer the cotton in the dye bath for 30-60 minutes, then let it sit overnight to deepen the color.
4. Re-dyeing	If the color is too light, repeat the process to build up layers for a richer shade.

This method enhances color saturation and vibrancy when dyeing with food waste!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

1 Alum powder or an aluminium stone

2 One red cabbage (Depends on how heavy your fibers are)

3 A knife and cutting board

4 Rubber gloves

5 A large staining steel pot.

6 A pair of heat resisting gloves.

7 A wooden spoon.

PREPARATION AND CUTTING CUBBAGE

Boiling red cabbage is essential in natural dyeing because it releases the pigments in the cabbage, allowing them to infuse the water and create a dye bath. Heat breaks down the cabbage’s cell walls, releasing anthocyanin pigments that provide the vibrant purple, pink, and blue colors. The temperature and duration of boiling help extract the maximum color, which can then be absorbed by the fibers for a more saturated dye effect.

Additionally, the heat allows for better color intensity and even dye coverage. Boiling red cabbage for 30–60 minutes usually creates a rich dye bath that’s perfect for natural fibers!

Step	Description
1. Submerging Yarn	Place pre-mordanted yarn into the dye bath, ensuring full immersion.
2. Simmering	Let the yarn simmer for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally for even color absorption.
3. Cooling	Allow the yarn to cool in the dye bath for a few hours or overnight to deepen the color.
4. Rinsing	Rinse the yarn in cool water until it runs clear, then hang it to dry in a shaded area.
5. Color Development	As the yarn dries, its true shades emerge, revealing organic variations from pinks and purples to blues, depending on pH.

This process brings out the natural beauty of red cabbage dye, creating rich, lasting colors with depth and character.

This is how the colors changed after the dyeing process: The material absorbed the dye unevenly, creating variations in hue. The dye concentration, temperature, and application method caused subtle shifts in color, resulting in a textured, mottled effect. These changes added depth and uniqueness to the final color, giving it a more natural, organic look rather than a solid, uniform shade.

Repurposing the dye into ink

Ingredients & Recipes

1. onion skin: 500 grams

2. Alum: 5 grams

3. salt: 5 grams

4. Water: 500ml

Red pigment

1. Concentrated Red onion Dye

2. Alum: 5 grams

3. Water: a few drops for thinning

To create a red onion dye pigment, begin by simmering 2-3 cups of the red onion dye on low heat until the liquid reduces significantly, which may take 1-2 hours. Once the liquid has reduced, add 5 grams of baking soda to the mixture and stir to adjust the color. Next, filter the solution to remove any excess liquid, leaving behind a thick paste. Spread this paste onto a non-stick surface and allow it to dry completely, which may take anywhere from overnight to 24 hours. After the pigment has dried, scrape off the solidified material and grind it into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle to create your final pigment.

For the pigment, I decided to experiment with creating color from onion skins, exploring their potential for natural dye extraction and pigment-making.

## References

1 for red cubbage dyeing : text

2 for onion skin dyeing:text