Monday, April 11

Until synthetic dyes were invented in the mid 1800's, plant dyes were used to dye most things since ancient Egypt. Plants come in such a variety of colors that many shades were possible. They were not always as "fast" as today's dyes, and the colors faded with time, but they were beautiful.

Indigo dyes came from a variety of plants. Chamomile created yellow while the madder dye plant was used for red. Both brazilwood and safflower were also used for shades of red. Baptisia Australis or blue indigo can be found in our mail order catalog.