Thursday, January 28, 2010

How to Dye with Pomegranate

This method is for dyeing fabric and fibers, I will create a post on  how to dye leather, rawhide, and paper next.

Materials List:
Pomegranate Peels - Fresh (about 16 oz) or Dried (8 oz more or less)
Stainless Steel Pot
Water - distilled if your water is hard or softened
Fabrics or Fibers that have been mordanted


NOTE: If you are working with fresh Pomegranates you do not need the pulp/seeds so feel free to eat that part of the fruit, you will only need the peels. 

Using a vessel large enough to cover your dyestuffs, fill your stainless steel pot with hot water and add your Pomegranted peels, allow to soak overnight.  Same method applies to both fresh and dried peels.

Next day return your pot to the heat source and simmer peels for one hour. 

Remove skins, if desired, from pot using a slotted spoon being careful NOT to burn yourself.  NOTE if you do not remove the skins they will leave random marks on your fabric and fibers, some dyers like this random patterning.

Add your WET, premordanted, fibers, yarns, threads, and/or fabrics to the dye pot.  If your dyestuffs are dry the coloring, on your dyestuffs, will be mottled.  To ensure even dyeing wet your dyestuffs thoroughly before adding them to the dye pot.

Simmer your dyestuffs for one hour, a low boil is fine with Pomegranate as it yeilds dull gold colors not reds.

Remove from heat source.

Allow the dyebath to cool overnight.  Next day remove your dyestuffs and drain, rinse either in the sink or in your washer, being careful not to felt any wool fibers you may have dyed.  Dry in the normal manner (line dry)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you! I will give it a try.
Dora

Anonymous said...

Horrors - I should have read this first -- I am in the process of dyeing a large patchwork which I thought would come out pink,,,, have just turned off the flame, we shall see.... B, Manhttan

jayanna said...

I have just found this great info. My questions are:
1. what happens if you boil the whole fruit and leave the seeds etc. attached?....
2. Pomegranite have exceedingly thick skins...which part has the dye in it...the outer red bits or the inner pithy cream flesh? Using a vegetable peeler could be the answer for me as my pomegranites are the ornamental kind and definitely not for eating - too bitter
J

k baxter packwood said...

You can use the whole fruit if you wish, most people want to eat the seeds for whatever reasons. Dried fruit skins produce a much richer dye, and you use the entire peel plus the ribs if you desire. Otherwise just the peels. When I was purchasing them wholesale they came with the ribs but no seeds. HTH.

gopinath said...

can we follow this one with ht hp machine?