How to Make a Green Natural Dye with Privet Berries
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- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2024
- Privet berries are an abundant natural dye source that create a vibrant green plant dye. You can create a variety of greens with this one dye depending of the type of fiber you use.
In this video I walk you through the basic dye process on two types on wool to show how to create a different shades of green. This is another wonderful way to make a natural dye.
Edited to Add: in this video I use berries from a Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum). If you only have access to a different variety of privet, I would try it and see what happens!
Also, as with any natural dye, do not use supplies that will later be used in the kitchen. Once a pot or spoon touches a dye, it no longer touches food. And if concerned with breathing in fumes or contact dermatitis, use plenty of ventilation, gloves, or other protective gear.
Watch until the end for a fun behind the scenes outtake.
Come say hi and see what I'm dyeing/knitting:
/ myramadecolor
/ hookeddyed
Or check out what I'm writing here:
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My first natural dye bath was with grape iris blossoms. I was so excited when I saw the color of the water. It was a deep rich purple. Guess what color my yarn was. Yellow. That was over 30 years ago. I’m still experimenting. Today I’m dying with purple garlic skins. It’s still exciting. If I don’t get purple though I won’t be shocked. I enjoy your videos very much. Can’t wait to try privet berries again. What a beautiful green.
Thank you! I've never tried purple garlic skins - how interesting!
Garlic skins are not the best dye material. I got an almond color. Acid and alkaline made no change.
@@nancyskinner5207 onion skins both Red and Orange make great colour
Don't like to strain ? Get yourself a potato masher ! Here general method with berries: I start with very little water. When the berries are cooked enough, I take the pot off the heat source and smach the berries with the potato masher, add a bit more water and finish the extraction. Then, I strain, put the berry pulp in a mesh bag if I want to add it back to the pot with the yarn. That's only 1 straining instead of 2 😉. Now I'm off to collect privet berries to try your recipe.
This is a great idea! I will try it, and thanks for sharing.
Great video, I love the results you got. Good job!
Ok, nowI have to go and find some privet berries. Those colours are amazing! And the method is pure magic! I love that you share what the colours look like on different types of yarn. So helpful! Thank you. Now I am off, going to bingewatch all your other videos! 🤣
I'd like to keep showing how dyes look different on different types of fiber. It does make a difference. I'm glad you found it helpful.
You’re a fab teacher & I’ve already learned so much from you. Thank you! 😊🌸🌸
Oh thank you!
I love the blooper at the end!
My brother keeps me in line. ;-)
Love this & needed this video! We have a lot of invasive privet that I want to slowly replace with natives.. After seeing this vid I might try removing them after they begin producing berries, so i can at least process and freeze the berries.. this is so fun :)
It is invasive! A bird planted mine and I keep pulling out new starts. I don’t cut mine out because of the berries. 😊
Im planning on making a linen tunic and want to dye it myself a kind of pastel forest green, this video looks like my ticket for just that, thanks very much+
Go for it!
I love your reaction and smile at minute 16:04. That was worth the whole video. "so cool!!"
This color will slowly mellow with age, like most natural dyes. It's important to prepare your fiber with a mordant process before dyeing to prolong light fastness.
@@MyraMadeColor?
Gorgeous! I’m in Missouri. Off to check if privet berries grow here. The color reminds me of the results I’ve gotten from black hollyhocks
Wow, love the colors!!! Now I have to find a neighborhood with privet berries! The mohair color is divine 😁Love the blooper at the end😂❤
Thank you!
I just picked some privet berries today. It is nice to have other natural dye sources like this in the winter when flowers aren’t available. I’m excited to see what green I’ll get.
Good luck!
@@MyraMadeColor I got a light sage green. I wonder if the green would have been deeper if I had picked the berries in late summer rather than early winter. Happy New Year!
I was walking around rubbing parts from different plants to see if they left any color, and Dame's Rocket did. I rubbed the petals into the bill of my hat and it turned a deep green. The fabric was sort of tan to begin with, so maybe it makes blue dye and mixed with the yellow to make the green. I don't see anything about it for natural dyes, but it works and it grows all over the place. That might be a fun one for you to experiment with.
I'm a new viewer to your channel and I absolutely love how you can create such beautiful yarn colors from nature! I guess we can use the leaves from the privet berries to make another color? xD
I haven’t dyed with the leaves yet but I think they do! Another experiment to add to the list. 😊
Such a nice green! Now I have to go berry hunting, hopefully they’re not all gone lol
Good luck!
Charming...much love.shamim zahuri from bangladesh🇧🇩🎯🏡✌
Thanks, this is a great video and the colours are wonderful. Do you know the species of privet that you used?
I looked up the types of privet, because the one I have in my yard doesn't produce much in the way of berries. However, the various sites all state that these have a toxicity for humans (and for dogs.) So be sure you are working with dye tools and pots only. I do have a farm near me that has a lot of wild hedge that looks like privet and has berries. I think I will see if they will let me prune out some this year.
Absolutely- best practice is to ALWAYS keep your dye supplies separate from kitchen supplies whether or not what your dyeing with is poisonous. I cover this more in my Natural Dye Basics series.
But are they still poisonous once dyed? I’d like to make a green dye for a baby blanket but now worried.
@@marlimciiff2370 I'm always abundantly cautious with making items for a baby because of their potentially sensitive skin. I believe it is important to always research the item you want to dye with, from multiple sources, and make a decision best for you.
Thanks for another lovely video. I'm not sure if you've answered this already, but if you dye something then turn it alkaline, when you knit it up into something and wash it, will the colour be effected?
If the pH is different I am nervous I'll get another colour 🤣 thanks ☺️
Good question! It depends a lot on what you use. For example, with privet berries I rinsed with water and the color didn't shift back. However, when I used hibiscus flowers with an alkaline bath, it immediately shifted to the original color after rinsing. You can always test the pH of the water you're using, too. If the skeins I've dyed pass the original test of making through a through rinse, I feel confident using them in a knit project. (I also only gently handwash my naturally dyed knits.) :-)
Thank you for the video! Beautiful color!
I'm new to dying...why do you add the soda wash after the yarn has soaked for awhile and not from the very beginning?
Great question! I dye the berries at a simmer (not boil), however an alkaline dye + high heat + too much time can damage wool (I’ve made this mistake a few times). Therefore, I’m cautious: dye first with high heat, shift dye, then turn heat very low or off. I hope that helps!
@@MyraMadeColor ooooh ok so the alkaline solution would weaken the yarn? That makes sense.
Thank you so much! You're my favorite natural dyer! So informative!
I'm new to your channel. I'm going thru the old videos and I have a question. How long can you store the dye water if you keep it in a cool dark place?
That’s a great question. It would likely depend a lot on the dye material. I’ve successfully used stored dye several months old. But I will toss if mold develops or the smell is “too” intense. You can test by heating a sample of dye with a sample of fiber and see what happens.
Did you mordant your wool first? If so, what did you use? At that alkalinity, do you need to do anything other than rinse the wool afterward?
I used an alum mordant for the wool. For rinsing, I don’t add anything special: rinse until the water runs clear.
Berries rumbling
Berries clunking
Delightful!
(Also, did you mention if this wool was mordanted? I might have missed that detail.)
Thank you! The wool was mordanted with alum.
I have tried the berries and I will go on. Thank you for your guide. But did you try the white little flowers. I am asking before trying since my hedge is full of them today but donot expect much color
I haven't tried the flowers (or leaves) but would be curious to see what happens. Why don't you try it on a small sample? Good luck!
May I suggest tryng a jelly/syrup sieve? It is a mesh bag and a holder, and you can squeeze the liquid from the bag after straining.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
One more question: I saw you demonstrating a lightfastness test in another video. Have you tried that with the privet berries? I read in one of my dyebooks that berries are often not very lightfast compared tk leaves or flowers. Curious to hear what your exoerience with privet berries is! Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us!
I did a lightfast test with privet berries and it held the color well. But in general, berries (such as blackberries) will usually fade quickly (purple becomes gray). I always think it's best to do your own tests to see how your own dyes hold up when exposed to light.
@@MyraMadeColor Thank you so much, Myra!
Is washing soda the same than baking soda ?
Does the yarn stay green if you put it in vinegar water bath? These purple berry dyes usually keep changing color. It is a classic acid alkaline color change.
I haven't tried it. That would be a good experiment!
immersion blender? and I heard that aqueous ammonia added to the cooled dyebath does but I havent tried it
Both interesting ideas. If you use a blender, do not also use it for food. Dye supplies cannot be kitchen supplies.
Shifting the water towards alkaline turns it green. If I shift the water towards acid, would it go/stay purple?
I wish! When I shifted the dye with vinegar to create an acidic dye bath, the color washed out. When I tried an iron mordanted fiber (instead of alum), the color when gray. The experimenting continues!
Super video!! I love the variations between wools and heat - I wonder what would happen if you made the dye alkaline from the start - 🤔
When I tried that method, it seemed like the color wasn't as bright. I think it was because I kept the wool in the bath for a shorter period of time and at a lower heat. High alkalinity plus high heat can roughen the wool fibers if you're not careful. If you try it, let me know what happens!
I have a recipe for dyeing with Australian Indigo, in which the dye bath is alkalised well before the fibre is added. After you add the fibre it all sits at about 50 degrees Centigrade for about 20 minutes. Beautiful blues. If I find privet berries I will test the method on them 🙂
@@gmarcelle Hi, I'd be very interested in your recipe for dyeing with Indigofera Australis (Aust. native indigo). I have a large plant with plenty of fresh leaves but so far no success in extracting more than a very pale green colour, and all the videos/tutorials seem to be using a different species (American or Japanese).
Also, privet is often grown as a hedge in Australia but in NSW it is an invasive weed so you can't buy it. I'd be interested to know if you find a source.
@@lyrebird9749 hi. Try this link www.vreeken.nl/img/pdf/346498%20Australische%20Indigo,%20complete%20beschrijving.pdf
Or google Turkey Red Journal Spring 2013. Robyn Heywood has written a very interesting article on indigofera Australis and shares her method, which is what I used. I thought to find the privet by a local riverside where it was growing wild. As yet I haven’t searched for it. I think Spring would be the best time. Good luck with the indigo.
@@lyrebird9749 it’s from Turkey Red Journal, Spring 2013. Article by Robyn Heywood on Indigofera Australis. Apologies if you got my previous similar reply, but it seems to have vanished 🙂. I source privet from a river bank, but it may have been eradicated by now.
What is the reason for the first round of dyeing before adding the washing soda? Doesn't it just give a grey base color that the green has to cover later? What happens if you just add the undyed fiber straight to the green dye, skipping the first round altogether?
Once you add the washing soda to the dye, you have to be careful to not "cook" the yarn at a high heat for a long period of time because it can roughen or weaken the animal fiber. So, I found that I achieved a richer, more saturated color by keeping the fiber in the dye bath for a long time, then shifting it to alkaline (using washing soda). Doing only one round of dye has worked for me in the past, but the method in the video is my preference. If you haven't done so already, try it either way and see which method you prefer. I hope that helps.
could you use an immersion blender to squish the berries?
I think that’s an interesting idea and worth a try. Just don’t use if for food again! Dye supplies are only used for dyeing.
Try a mortar and pestle to mash the berries too
Great idea!
Why don’t you add the washing soda at the start of inserting the fabrics? Just curious why you let the yarn sit in the original bath before changing the color.
The washing soda plus high heat for a long time can potentially damage the wool. Therefore, I like to have the fiber absorb most of the dye before adjusting. That allows it to be a high heat for longer.
Because this dye is so reliant on pH, if you spilled something extremely basic or extremely acidic on it would that change the color?
It's very possible, but thankfully that hasn't happened to me yet! It would be a good experiment.
Wikipedia says that there are 50 species of privet. Do you mean we should use Ligustrum Vulgare, or another type of privet? Thanks.
Great point! I believe I use Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum). I would try whatever you have growing locally and see what happens. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
@@MyraMadeColor OK. Thanks for the reply. 🙂
What did you mordent your wool with?
Alum (aluminum sulfate)
what happens if you do this with baking soda or ammonia instead? how does it compare?
Baking soda and ammonia will adjust the color.. I suggest trying all three to see which you prefer best. I use washing soda because I don't like the smell of ammonia and it seems to work better than baking soda.
@@MyraMadeColor hmmm... now i just have to learn how to identify privet and find one near me. currently I'm reverse wrap plying scraps of an olive green I made from wild grapes and baking soda. I thought it might have had some residue leftover from an iron dyed skein of something else that got put in the dye bath before it.
I heard/read that using salt/see water will create a greenish-blue. Have you tried that?
I’ve also read that salt helps create blue, dye but I haven’t tried it yet. Unless using indigo, natural blue dyes seem to fade quickly to gray.
Do you need to wait for the berries to turn black or can you use them when still green? The colours you've produced are beautiful and I'm watching the local privet for when they change but I'm impatient.
I would wait until they ripen. I’m an impatient person, I totally understand. ☺️
Are these the Chinese Privet berries? Do you have a botanical name please? I read that Privet is known to cause significant irritations to sufferers of hay fever
It is the Japanese privet (ligustrum japonicum). I will update my video description with the scientific name. If you are concerned with breathing in fumes (with any natural dye), make sure to have plenty of ventilation and use a face mask. Some people are sensitive to fumes, while others are not. I developed a sensitivity to onion dye fumes and now where a face mask to avoid a headache.
Would like to know the botanical name of your berries. As a watcher, they look more like elderberries or some type of viburnum than a privet. The privet/ barberry/bearberry that I'm aware of have little tiny red or dark green leaves and oblong, tiny red berries.
They are definitely privet, we have a lot of it in southern Australia, pesky weed. Their berries are black like hers. I also grow several species of viburnum and elder, they are not those plants.
I am from India and we dont have privet berries here.I wanted a dark green dye
is privet berries known as blueberries?
They are not the same. Blueberries are good to eat, but do not create a dye. Privet berries are toxic to eat, and do create a dye.
Please tell me that you have separate pots and spoons for dyeing and cooking. Privot berries are highly toxic to humans and can cause kidney failure if ingested. Please look it up if in doubt. You should have been wearing a mask to help avoid breathing in anything. Natural does not equate with non-toxic. I just got rid of a large privot tree in my yard when I found out that it is a non-native invasive species from China and the berries are toxic to people. Birds and squirrels eat them without ill effects all the time but they have a much different metabolism than we do. Next time please dye outside and wear protective gear for your safety and for your family. Thanks for listening.
Thank you for your concern. I’m well aware that natural does not mean non-toxic, and only use equipment designated for my natural dyes. I state this in the description of the video, as well as other cautions to take if concerned. Thanks for watching- and if you’re looking for natural sources of green dye, I also have a video using carrot tops.
What about toxicity on skin from wearing textiles dyed with privet ?
@francescapoteet5481 the fiber and cloth dyed are washed after dyeing. Note also that she wears gloves so dye is not absorbed into the skin.
Can you use a hand potato masher to mas the berries?
Curious if you have used a lighter alkaline, like baking soda? Just curious.. really enjoyed your video!