4. BioChromes¶
References & Inspiration¶
I have been looking forward to this week! My bachelor’s degree is in textile arts, and I have some prior experience with dye processes and terminology. However, I did not explore natural dyes in depth during my time in school.
I had a variety of inspirations going into this week, and I’m excited to include artists I know personally who utilize natural dyes in their creative practice!
- Monique Crabb, Mexico City, 2018, secondhand plant-dyed fabric, hand-quilted
- Christian Dior Shibori Skirt, photo on pinterest, hard to find the collection (many fashion reporting sites are paywalled.)
- Katie Miller, Rose Twin, 2023, hand-drafted cloth woven on 8-harness floor loom, warp naturally dyed with logwood, cochineal, indigo, weld, marigold, with recycled weft yarn, salt.
- Knit harness, 2022, va1sseau on instagram
- Shibori dye techniques, photo from Fuji Kimono Co. on pinterest
- Jessie Mordine-Young, 31/365 from A Woven Year project (this particular image came from instagram)
Fabricademy Participants¶
Tools & Resources¶
- Local Color at Textile Lab Amsterdam
- Maiwa
- Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (Texas)
- containers: pots, jars, strainers, bowls
- tools: spoon, tongs, immersion blender, mortar and pestle, portable burner/hotplate, funnels, filters
- chemicals: alum, sodium carbonate, percarbonate, vinegar, iron, water
- dyestuff: flowers, roots, barks, powders/extracts
Assignment¶
weekly assignment
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)
Process and workflow¶
Documenting this process in more detail is a collaborative effort. There was a lot happening all at once, and we decided the best way to get a full document was by making a Miro Board1. Our presentation there inlcudes basic steps taken, mordants, dye recipes, and our cumultive results. Everyone conduction the same basic steps, and were more or less dedicated to certain dye baths or processes. Together, we shared any detailed notes on our specific endeavors. Below, I have summarized my experience of this week:
Natural Dyes¶
We dyed wool, recycled cotton yarn, silk, and a cotton/viscose blend in the textileLab this week. We started by scouring and mordanting our undyed fibers. We used alum to mordant and scour protein fibers at the same time. We made 3-acetate to mordant our cellulose fibers after scouring. While they processed, we prepared dye baths. We made 16 (16!!!) dye baths with various plant materials and cochineal, which is insect-based. For most baths, we used 150% the weight-of-fiber for a vibrant and concentrated dye. After we had finished dyeing with most dyes, we made lake pigments with the leftovers.
The result was a rainbow of color that makes me so excited! From my previous experiences with natural dyes, I have made and seen more muted earthy tones. The vibrancy and range in color of these dyes was inspiring. I am certain this will be a part of my creative practice in the future, as I learn about natural dyes in my local ecosystem. I really enjoy making and doing on the border on art and science, and through the chaos and creation of this week I found myself desiring to understand the science of this medium more in depth.
I was able to scour, mordant, and dye some extra material. I made small bundles of 100% wool yarn, each weighing 2 - 3 grams. I dyed them with madder, cochineal, alcanet, coreopsis, coreopsis + iron, weld, weld + indigo, weld + logwood, and indigo. I had enough to knit up a harness/shrug/bolero accessory like my inspiration references. I am working without a pattern for this piece, which is new for me! For an improved fit, I may have to use some secondhand yarn to finsih the hems. But overall, it was very inspiring and exciting to apply this new skillset to my knitting practice. I will update with final images!
Bacterial Dye¶
On Monday 13/10/2025, we got introduced to the wet lab in de Waag. I have worked with bacteria and biofabrication in the past, so this was a nice return to that passion for me! I refreshed my knowledge and learned how the tools and procedures worked in this space.
We are working with a Bio-safety Level 1 bacteria called Janthinobacterium lividum. It produces a pigment called violacein and appears a deep blue-violet color.
We made Luria (LB) Broth and poured nutrient agar plates, learned how to use the autoclave, and innoculated both agar plates and silk handkercheifs in LB broth. It will take some time to see results.
Ingredients & Recipes¶
Scour & Mordant¶
Scouring is the process that removes dirt, oil, and sizing from fibers so that they are clean and evenly absorb dye.
Alum is a very common mordant. It is also known as potassium aluminum sulfate or KAl(SO₄)₂. It works well on protein fibers.
Cellulose fibers are more diffulcult to dye. They require more steps and a different mordant. First we scoured the fibers. We then used a DIY alum acetate cold immersion bath, and then fixed it with a sodium percarbonate solution.
Protein Fibers¶
Scour and mordant at the same time. Place wool into a pot with water and 15% weight of fiber (w.o.f.) alum. Heat up to 60 - 85 degrees celcius as to not damage the wool or silk. A pinch of cream of tartar in the scour/mordant bath helps the fibers retain their sheen. Scour/mordant with heat for 1 hour, then allow the fibers to cool in the pot. Gently remove excess mordant by rinsing fibers, then dye or dry. If dried, always be sure to wet the fibers before dyeing.
Cellulose Fibers¶
Scour cellulose fibers by boiling in plenty of water with sodium carbonate for 1 hour. Some people also use neutral textile detergent. Allow to cool. Rinse.
Prepare a mordant for cellulose fibers 1 by following the procedure below. Cecilia called this DIY 3-Acetate, however when I search online, I find "aluminum acetate" and "aluminum triformate." Neither quite follow this recipe. It worked for us, though! Recipes include the amounts we used, but to have enough for your project follow the ratio/perentage amounts:
Cellulose Fiber mordant
- 500 ml white vinegar
- 50 g aluminum sulfate
- 25 g sodium carbonate
Cellulose Fiber fixative (0.1% sodium percarbonate solution)
- 1 L water
- 1 g sodium percarbonate
Dye¶
We made most dye baths at a 150% w.o.f. concentration. Each dye bath would receive 30 g of fiber, so we calulated 45g of dye stuff and enough water to immerse our fibers, around 2 L water.
Notes on specific dyes
- Madder: do not heat above 60 degrees celcius.
- Safflower: We only had around 130% w.o.f. safflower petals. To get pink it is multi-step cold extraction process. Soak several times to remove yellow pigment. Once leaves appear reddish-orange, add sodium carbonate to pH 11 and allow to soak a bit longer. Neutralize the bath before dyeing fibers.
- Logwood: Only used 30% w.o.f. dye stuff
- Coreopsis: Only used 60% - 70% w.o.f. dye stuff
- Indigo: I did not take detailed noted on setting up indigo vat. Visit Johanna Schründer's biochrome documentation for a good recap of this process.
- Black bean: also an oxidation process like indigo. Soaked black beans in water. Dip fabric for 1 hour, remove and allow to oxidize, return to bath. Repeat this process to desired saturation.
- Alcanet: pigment extracted with ethanol. After extraction, add ethanol/pigment solution and heat to evaporate the ethanol.