Student Activity Packet

Activity # 4: Dyeing Using Extracts of Plants


Black Walnut

Description

You will conduct a science experiment and answer related questions as part of a homework assignment using:

Dyeing Using Extracts of Plants - General Experiment Instructions

or

The Lemelson Center's "How To Dye Fibers Naturally."

The purpose of this experiment is to make a dye from plants growing in your neighborhood and then to use the dyestuff to dye wool. This is an activity you design yourself. We will give general instructions, but you will experiment to find out how to achieve the best results. Read all the directions carefully before you begin.

Color is best obtained from fresh plants at peak bloom, but some home dyers dry plants for later use. Dried plants often produce a lighter color than fresh plants.


When collecting plants, be aware of the environment. Never collect from nature refuges, parks, or people's gardens without permission. Generally you will need about three or four times the amount of plant material to the amount of wool by weight. Collect about one pound, or a grocery bag full, of each plant to dye about seven ounces of wool.


Materials you will need:

- white wool yarn
- a gallon water container
- an old stainless steel or ceramic pot
- a source of heat (stove top or hot plate)
- strainer
- long stirring rods or spoons
- a number of containers in which to rinse the dyed wool
- lots of water
- plants to collect and try turning into dyes include:
- carrot tops
- goldenrod
- Queen Anne's lace
- eucalyptus leaves
- black walnut hulls
- any others might work as well or better


Golden Rod

Procedure

  1. Chop the plants and let them soak in a gallon of water overnight, especially if they are woody.

  2. Simmer the plants and the water (maybe in small batches) over your heat source. Cooking time can vary, but at least one hour is best -- more if the plants are woody or if you are using nuts or bark.

  3. Wet the wool with clean water. You can put the wet wool into the bath with the plants, but if you strain the plants out before dumping the wool in, the wool can move more freely and you'll eliminate lots of "picking" later.

  4. Simmer the liquid with the wool in it for twenty minutes. Never boil the bath.

  5. Check the wool often for color, keeping in mind that it will be lighter when dry. You can obtain deeper color with a longer bath or by letting the wool cool in the bath.

  6. Remove the wool, rinse, and cool it gradually in a succession of clear water baths.

Dyeing Using Extracts of Plants -- Questions

  1. What plant(s) did you use? Where did you find this plant? How many plants did you use? Draw a picture of the plant that you picked and indicate which parts of the plant you used to create your dye.

  2. Calculate how long it took to prepare your dye and dye your yarn. Start from when you went out to pick your plants and end when your yarn is dry.

  3. Describe any difficulties you encountered in preparing your dye.

  4. Describe the color of your dyed strands of yarn. Is the color of the dyed yarn the same as the color of the plants you used? Are you pleased with your results? Why or why not? Would you wear clothes dyed the color of the dye you created? Why or why not?

  5. How do you think you could have made your dye lighter or darker? Think of at least three ways.

  6. Do you think you could duplicate your results exactly? Why or why not?
Copyright © 1998 The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. All rights reserved.

Comments and questions to the Lemelson Center:lemcen@si.edu

Last Revision: 6/5/98