Bio Chromes 🎨✨

Session Nutshell 🌰🐚

This week’s session was an absolute blast! I got to present again, and this time, I was super excited to show off my work on circular fashion. Feeling much more confident to talk about my work, I really embraced the moment and was so proud to share my progress! 🙌

Moving to Bio Chromes Week! 🌿🌈 This session was a treasure trove of information, and these are the topics that really caught my eye:

• The History of Color 📜
• Color Wheels Through Time 🎡
• The Journey of Natural and Synthetic Dyes 💧🧪
• Exploring Various Biochrome Palettes 🌸🍂

References from the global session

We also dived into the zero-waste natural color journey, which was fascinating to witness and understand how color can be derived sustainably from nature! 🌿♻️

Reference from the global session

The session opened and closed with the perfect quote:

"Color is life; for a world without color appears to us as dead. Colors are primordial ideas, the children of life." – Itten, Color Theory 🎨✨

I was totally inspired to play with colors and couldn’t wait to get started on experimenting with natural dyes this week! 🎨💥

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Assignment Deep Dive 📝

For this week's assignment, we had to create some natural magic! 🌿✨ We were tasked with crafting at least one natural dye with modifiers on fabric and one ink or pigment. Of course, I couldn’t stop at just one—I had to explore all the possibilities! 🌈 And I had the pleasure of working with my colleague Gunjan Kaul on this one! 👫

Learning Outcomes

Research Skills: The participant has acquired knowledge through references and concept development 🔍

Technical Skills: Master techniques mordanting, dyeing (botanical or bacterial), pigments 🖌️

Process Skills: Anyone can go through the workflow and recipes, understand them and reproduce it 🧪

Final Outcome: The participant understands various stages of color as: dye, inks and pigment 🌸

Originality: Has the research been thought through and elaborated? 🔄.

Students Checklist ✅

✅ Include some inspiration: research on artists or projects that on natural/bacterial dyeing, local ingedients and resources

✅ Produce at least 1 natural dye with modifiers on fabric

✅ Produce 1 ink OR 1 pigment

✅ Document your recipes, the ingredients and process and if there have been changes, document your unexpected discoveries

✅ Submit some of your swatches to the analog material library of your lab (20cm x 20cm approx)

FAQ

Can this assignment be done in group?

Yes, but you need to document clearly your own experimentation with text and pictures. If you use your colleague’s picture, always credit them.

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Project Inspiration 💡

I was particularly excited about using flowers and vegetables from around my locality for natural dyes. 🌸🥬 below is a moodboard of what I aspired to achieve:

Reference from Pinterest

I was also particulary in love with the works of Rebecca Desnos

And highly inspired by the artists in Kutch who I had visited last year and had first hand experience at looking at their techniques These are some of the fabrics I created using Batik Printing Techniques & Bandhani Techniques during the workshops there

Definitions to Know 📖

Dye:

A soluble substance used to add color to textiles, leather, or paper. Dyes bond with the material, often needing a mordant to fix the color. They can be natural (from plants, animals, minerals) or synthetic. Unlike pigments, dyes dissolve in the medium they’re used in. 🧪🎨

Pigment:

An insoluble colorant used to coat surfaces like paints. Pigments are mixed with binders (like oil or acrylic) and stay suspended, unlike dyes. They can be natural or synthetic and are used in paints, inks, and cosmetics. 🎨🖌️

Ink:

A liquid or paste containing pigments or dyes used for writing, printing, or drawing. It includes colorants, solvents, and additives to control flow and drying time. ✍️

Scouring:

A process of cleaning fibers (e.g., textiles) to remove impurities like oils, dirt, and waxes. Typically done with alkaline solutions to prep materials for dyeing. 🧼💧

Mordant:

A chemical used to fix dyes onto materials, ensuring the color stays put. Common mordants include alum, iron, and tannic acid. They help the dye bond with the fabric. 🔗🎨

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Understanding the Process 🧠

Here’s a simple breakdown to keep the process organized:

1. Make a list of all the dyes you want to create 🌼🥬
2. Gather your tools and ingredients (see material list below) 🧰
3. Understand each recipe and process before you start 📝
4. Ensure you have enough workspace based on your project scale 🛠️

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Material List 🛠️

Fabric Used:

Cotton, Linen, Wool Yarn.

Flowers Used:

Flowers 🌼 Rose, Hibiscus, Yellow Marigold, Orange Marigold.

Veggies Used:

Veggies 🥬 Neem leaves, Purple Cabbage, Turmeric Root, Beetroot, Onion Skins.

Ingredients for Fabric Prep

PH neutral soap (Ezee)

Mordants/Fixatives Salt, Alum, Vinegar, Baking Soda

Hangers & space for drying

Tools

Steel Containers (1 per dye)

Gas/Stove/Induction

Paper Cups/Glass containers to store dye and create inks

Small containers to store inks, pigments

Steel Tongs

Water supply (hot & cold)

Sieve & Coffee filters

Measurement tools (Cups/Scale)

Gloves

Stirrers (I used toothpicks)

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The Process 🎨✨

Fabric Prep

• Wash fabric in PH-neutral soap (Ezee)
• Simmer in hot water for 30 minutes
• Rinse with cool water, and let it dry

Mordanting the Fabric

• Prepare two batches of mordants:

  • Batch 1: Soak in 1 tablespoon Salt for 1 hour 🧂

  • Batch 2: Soak in 1 tablespoon Alum for 1 hour

  • Rinse the fabric in cool water and let it dry before dyeing

  You can also look through Botanical Colors for more details

💡

Flower Dye Process 🌼🏵️🌺🌹

There were 5 reciepes (detailed recipes below) and we planned to cook and execute them together

1. Pluck out all the petals
2. Soak each flower petals in water
3. We also used the left over stems
4. Bring them to boil & then simmer for 1 hour
5. Let the dye cool & then strain out the flowers to extract the dye

💡

Once the dyes were ready

1. We poured 30 ml of extracted dye

2. Each Dye had 9 cups

3. Each cup had 3 variations

4. The salt cups had the fabrics mordanted in salt, the rest of the cups the fabrics were mordanted in Alum

5. 3 cups of dye + 1/2 teaspoon salt with a timmer for 30 mins, 60 mins & over night

6. 3 cups of dye & 1/2 teaspoon alum with a timmer for 30 mins, 60 mins & over night

7. 3 cups of dye & 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with a timmer for 30 mins, 60 mins & over night

1. This was done for all 5 dyes : Rose, Hibiscus, Yellow Marigold, Orange Marigold & Leftover stems

1. Each cup had a small square swatch

1. We flipped the liquid after 30 mins were over to the 60 mins cup and then to the overnight cup

1. After 30 mins, 60 mins & 12 hours (overnight) we removed the fabric from the dye to let it dry

2. Once the fabrics were dried, they were rinsed under cool water and left to dry

Flower Dye Recipes 🌿🎨

Yellow Marigold Dye 🌼💛

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh marigold flowers (about 8 flowers)

• 1/2 teaspoon each of Alum, Salt, & Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 9 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions

Prepare the Dye

• Remove the stems and place marigold petals in a pot with 4 cups of water.

• Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour.

• Let the dye cool, then strain out the flowers.

Dye the Fabric

• Measure out 30 ml of dye per cup (total 9 cups).

• Separate into 3 sets:

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon salt with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight.

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon alum with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

• Submerge the fabric swatches into the dye baths.

• Let the fabrics dry, then rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Orange Marigold Dye 🌼🧡

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh marigold flowers (about 8 flowers)

• 1/2 teaspoon each of Alum, Salt, & Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 9 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions

Prepare the Dye

• Remove the stems and place marigold petals in a pot with 4 cups of water.

• Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour.

• Let the dye cool, then strain out the flowers.

Dye the Fabric

• Measure out 30 ml of dye per cup (total 9 cups).

• Separate into 3 sets:

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon salt with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight.

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon alum with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

• Submerge the fabric swatches into the dye baths.

• Let the fabrics dry, then rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Rose Dye 🌹💖

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh Rose flowers (about 8 flowers)

• 1/2 teaspoon each of Alum, Salt, & Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 9 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions

Prepare the Dye

• Remove the stems and place rose petals in a pot with 4 cups of water.

• Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 30 mins.

• Let the dye cool, then strain out the flowers.

Dye the Fabric

• Measure out 30 ml of dye per cup (total 9 cups).

• Separate into 3 sets:

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon salt with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight.

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon alum with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

• Submerge the fabric swatches into the dye baths.

• Let the fabrics dry, then rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Hibiscus Dye 🌺❤️

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh Hibiscus flowers (about 8 flowers)

• 1/2 teaspoon each of Alum, Salt, & Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 9 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions

Prepare the Dye

• Remove the stems and place rose petals in a pot with 4 cups of water.

• Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour.

• Let the dye cool, then strain out the flowers.

Dye the Fabric

• Measure out 30 ml of dye per cup (total 9 cups).

• Separate into 3 sets:

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon salt with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight.

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon alum with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

• Submerge the fabric swatches into the dye baths.

• Let the fabrics dry, then rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Leftover stems Dye🌿🤎

Ingredients

• Leftover stems from the four flowers

• 1/2 teaspoon each of Alum, Salt, & Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 9 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions

Prepare the Dye

• Remove the stems and place rose petals in a pot with 4 cups of water.

• Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour.

• Let the dye cool, then strain out the leftovers.

Dye the Fabric

• Measure out 30 ml of dye per cup (total 9 cups).

• Separate into 3 sets:

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon salt with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight.

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

  • 3 cups with 1/2 teaspoon alum with dye for 30 mins, 60 mins, and overnight

• Submerge the fabric swatches into the dye baths.

• Let the fabrics dry, then rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

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Veggie Dye Process 🫚🥬🧅🌿

There were 5 reciepes (detailed recipes below) and we planned to cook and execute them together

1. Chop the veggies / collect peels
2. Soak veggies/peels in water
3. Bring them to boil
4. Bring them to boil & then simmer for 1 hour
5. Let the dye cool & then strain out the veggies to extract the dye

Once the dyes were ready

1. We divided our dye's in 2 batches

2. Beetroot Dye

Batch 1 was plain dye with fabric swatch soaked in

Batch 2 1/2 teaspoon vinegar was added to dye with fabric swatch soaked in

Both these batches were left to simmer for 20 mins on low flame

1. Purple Cabbage Dye

Batch 1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar was added to dye with fabric swatch soaked in - which turned the dye into a beautiful pink

Batch 2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda was added to dye with fabric swatch soaked in - which turned the dye into a beautiful green

Both these batches were left to simmer for 1 hour on low flame

1. Similarly we created batches for Onion Peel Dye & Turmeric Root Dye

Batch 1 1/2 teaspoon alum was added to dye with fabric swatch soaked in

Batch 2 1/2 teaspoon vinegar + Pinch of salt was added to dye with fabric swatch soaked in

Both these batches were left to simmer for 40 mins on low flame

1. Once the fabrics were cooked in the dye, we left them to dry for an 24 hours

We used cotton fabrics mordanted in Alum for all veggie dyes

While we waited for all the fabrics to soak, we took bits of yarn and soaked it in the left over dyes from the flowers and veggies

Veggie Dye Recipies 🌱🍂

Onion Peels Dye 🧅✨

Ingredients:

• 2 cups onion skins

• Pinch of Salt + 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon Alum

• 4 cups water

• 2 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions:

Prepare the Dye:

• Collect onion skins, place them in water, and boil. Simmer for 1 hour.

• Strain the skins to extract the dye.

Dye the Fabric:

• Divide the dye into 2 batches:

  • Batch 1: Add a pinch of salt and vinegar.

  • Batch 2: Add 1/2 teaspoon alum.

  • Simmer the batches with submerged fabric swatches in the dyes + fixatives for 40 mins

• let them dry

Purple Cabbage Dye 🥬💙💜

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of purple cabbage

• 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar (for pink)

• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda (for blue/green)

• 4 cups water

• 2 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions:

Prepare the Dye:

• Chop cabbage, place it in water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 hour.

• Strain after cooling.

Dye the Fabric:

• Split the dye into two batches:

  • Batch 1: Add a pinch of salt and vinegar for pink.

  • Batch 2: Add baking soda for blue/green.

  • Simmer the batches with submerged fabric swatches in the dyes + fixatives for 1 hour

• let them dry

Beetroot Dye 🌱❤️

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized beets

• 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar

• 4 cups water

• 2 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions:

Prepare the Dye:

• Peel and chop beets into small pieces. Place in water and boil.

• Simmer for 1 hour and strain the dye.

Dye the Fabric:

• Split into two batches:

  • Batch 1: Add 1/2 teaspoon vinegar for brighter red.

  • Batch 2: No fixative for softer pink.

• Simmer the batches with submerged fabric swatches in the dyes + fixatives for 20 mins

Turmeric Root 🌞💛

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated turmeric root

• Pinch of Salt + 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon Alum

• 4 cups water

• 2 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions:

Prepare the Dye:

• Grate turmeric root, place in water, and bring to a boil.

• Simmer for 40 mins and strain.

Dye the Fabric:

• Split into two batches:

  • Batch 1: Add salt and vinegar.

  • Batch 2: Add alum.

• Simmer the batches with submerged fabric swatches in the dyes + fixatives for 40 mins

Neem Leaf Dye 🍃💚

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh neem leaves

• 4 cups water

• 1 tablespoon salt (as a fixative)

• 2 swatches of cotton fabric

Instructions:

Prepare the Dye:

• Wash neem leaves and place them in a pot with water.

Boil and simmer for 1 hour.

• Let the mixture cool and strain out the leaves.

Dye the Fabric:

• Submerge fabric in the neem leaf dye.

• Simmer for 1–2 hours, stirring occasionally.

• Hang to dry.

Tie & Dye

For the tie and dye we used the linen fabric, and cut it in to slightly bigger swatches, and used a slightly thicker thread, and played around various tying patterns. We even tied in some marigolds in the tie and dye to see if something different happens

The Tie Dye Process

1. Simmer fabric in dye

1. Dye 1 : Mixed onion & turmeric dye with 1/2 teaspoon alum | Simmer for 30 mins

2. Dye 2 : Rose dye 1/2 teaspoon alum | Simmer for 30 mins

3. Dye 3 : Neem 1/2 teaspoon alum | Simmer for 30 mins

4. Dye 4 : Flower tie dye - plain water with 1/2 teaspoon alum | Simmer for 1 hour

2. Leave fabric in dye for 3 hours or more

3. Open When Dry

Dye to Ink Process

Dyes Used

1. Purple cabbage
2. Rose
3. Onion Peel

Tools and ingredients

measurement tools - 10 ml, 20ml, 1/32 teaspoon (dash)

9 containers

Sieve & Coffee filter

Here is what we did:

In container 1 : In 60 ml of dye + add 1/32 teaspoon (dash) of Salt + 10 grams baking soda : mix everything

In container 2 : Add 20 grams of Alum in 20 ml of hot boiling water : quickly mix this solution and pour this in container with the dye mix. - You will see a lot of fizz forming

In container 3 : Add sieve and a coffee filter on top - Pour the fizzle mixture and let the powder on top be collected in the coffee filter and let the liquid drip - this step roughly 3 hours for things to dry, and the liquid to collect.

Once things are dry, scrape of the residue from the coffee filter in small clear containers

So in love with how this looks! Reminds me of an amethyst geode!

Add arabic gum as per personal consistency to create ink

I found liquid arabic gum but you can also get the crystals and melt them to create the liquid

As I was adding the arabic gum, I noticed 1 ink have some larger non dissolved pieces of alum in it, and little did I know, adding the arabic gum and stirring it will form the fizz again! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

As you can see here 3 out of 5 inks are fizzy due to undissolved alum chunks

Regardless, I loved Playing around with the newly made inks, and quite enjoyed the crystal texture it gave

Project Assembly 🛠️

Now that we were done with everything! It was time to Document all the beautiful work we had created into even more beautifully displayed swatches.

Gunjan and I got to work super quick prepping our display for the swatches we had created!

We had 72 swatches & were super proud!

Pigment To Inks

We are very excited to submit this swatch book to the Somaiya School Of Design Fabricademy Node

Reflections 🪞

1. It helped to have done the research on the recipes to understand how to prep prior to starting

2. Multitasking and cooking similar things togther help fasten the pace of the work

3. As beautiful as the final outputs look, the smells can irk you out 😛😛

4. It's important to understand how many containers you need to cook and store, I have tried my best to be as explicit in mentioning the units in my process

5. I loved how different fixatives gave varied results like purple cabbage turning green upon adding baking soda, I was expecting shades of blue as per what I had read during my research

6. The importance of planning really stood out in this project

7. I also loved how the colours have transitioned with some having natural tie dye effects on them

Some textures that I spotted during the process that I fell in love with

Special Mentions 🌟

A huge thank you to our mentors Rico,Mina,Kae. ⭐⭐⭐

This project would not have been possible without the help of my mom 💖, we made everything in her kitchen,and her promptness to want to help just made the whole process seamless!

And last but not the least Gunjan my friend, colleague and co student at Fabricademy without whom this project would not have been possible to do at this scale! We make an amazing team 💜