Non-fading Pokeberry Dye Part 1

I've experimented with natural dyes in the past, but until now, I've never tried pokeberries. This is because pokeberry dye is notoriously not color fast, so I thought, why bother? Then I ran across Carol Leigh's Non-fading Pokeberry Recipe and was able to snag a copy of the free PDF before her website disappeared. Happily, it's still available on her old blog, here.

Last summer, I started collecting pokeberries for this experiment. Because I didn't have enough plants to collect gallons at a time, I froze them as I picked them. I ended up with about a gallon and a half of de-stemmed berries.

The other day I was ready to try it. But the recipe itself is more of a description than a formula, so I had some figuring out to do.

"Carol Leigh's Non-fading Pokeberry Recipe" calls for approximately

• 8-ounces of fiber
• 1 - 2 gallons pokeberries, de-stemmed and crushed
• 1.5 to 2 gallons fresh water
• 4 ounces of 56% acetic acid

I couldn't find the 56% acetic acid, so I used what I could find, a 75% vinegar concentrate for DIY diluting. The link will take you to Amazon.

Carol Leigh's key points for color fastness are:

• high ratio of pokeberries to fiber
• high degree of acidity of the baths (both mordant and dye baths) 
• long length of time for fibers to remain in each step of the process

She states that by following these points, her samples have remained color-bright for several years without fading. Which is why her recipe is so popular!

Day 1

Mordant fiber: 

I'm using a Dorset fleece that was previously scoured.

• Mix 4 ounces acetic acid in 1.5 - 2 gallons of water (enough to comfortably float the fiber)
• Thoroughly wash and rinse the fiber (or yarn or fabric)
• Place damp fiber into acid water, bring to a high simmer (180-190 degrees F) for two hours
• Leave over night to cool

Prepare dyebath:

• Make acetic acid solution with 4-oz acetic acid per 1.5 to 2 gallons water
• Add the crushed pokeberries, heat to low simmer 
• Steep for 30 minutes
• Let cool overnight

Notes:

• I substituted 75% acetic acid in the same amount.
• On a whim, I tossed in another cup of 5% acetic acid (household vinegar) into both baths
• All sources agree that the best color is obtained by keeping the berries and dye bath below boiling.

Day 2

• Remove fiber from mordant bath
• Strain berries from dye bath
• Mix mordant and dye baths together
• Return fiber to the pot
• Steep at a medium high temp (160 degree F) for two hours. 
• Turn off heat and leave fibers in bath over night.

Day 3

• Remove fibers from dyepot
• Gently squeeze out excess liquid. Do not rinse yet. 
• Lay fiber out on screens or towels out of the sun for several days to set the color. 

Freshly dyed damp fiber laid out on a screen to dry.

Notes:

• The inconsistency of color tells me I had too much fiber for that size pot.
• I can either blend it, or sort it by shade for spinning.

Apparently, the temperature of the dyebath has a lot to do with the color that results: red, fuchsia, pink, etc. My dyepot was maintained around 130°F (54°C) for an afternoon, so that's what I got. 

I will let it sit for at least several days before rinsing out the excess dye. 

I'll report on that here ⇒ Part 2.

Recipe Resources

• Hillcreek Fiber Studio, "Non-fading Pokeberry Recipe"
• Mother Earth News, "Pokeberry Dye Recipe"
• Timber Creek Farm, "Pokeberry Dye for Wool and Yarns"
• Botanical Colors, "Tips For Pokeberry Dyeing on Wool"
• Kelly Wove It, "Natural Dyeing with Pokeberry"

EDIT: to add

• New Life on the Farm, "Wednesday was a wonderful day to d-y-e!"

Non-fading Pokeberry Dye Part 1

 © July 2024 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related post

How Many Pokeberries in a Gallon?

Non-fading Pokeberry Dye Part 2