Bringing You the Magic and Beauty of Natural Dyes
Welcome to Blue Castle Fiber Arts
Promoting the use and knowledge of natural dyes is the purpose of Blue Castle Fiber Arts and this website. With a growing concern for the environment, the use of plant dyes is becoming a popular and ethical choice for many, especially for those who already appreciate natural fibers over synthetics. Imported dyes are also a great way to help support poor rural communities and to help preserve the traditional knowledge of dye-making. So whether you are new to the craft or an old hand, you will hopefully find this website a valuable resource.
You can see the some of the natural dyes we have here:
There is some concern that the mordants used with plant dyes are toxic and not environmentally friendly. This is true for some of the mineral mordants like chrome and tin. Blue Castle Fiber Arts uses and sells only eco-friendly mordants including our very popular Herbal Mordant made from Myrobalan and Pomegranate. Read more about mordants.
Plant
dyes are not only environmentally friendly, they are a beautiful and
fascinating hobby. They have a genuine appeal to natural fiber artists,
spinners, weavers, knitters, felters and others. Many such artists
gather their own plant materials to use as dyes. Others also purchase
them ready to use from dye suppliers, especially since many of the more
vibrant colors can only be obtained from certain countries.
Start reading about plant dyes here.
See our popular Dye Kits
Available in a small 6 color size or the larger 10 color kit. Includes instructions and Herbal Mordant.
NEW!! Natural Dye App
 |
Download
our new Natural Dyes App to get a discount on our Large Natural Dye
Kit. Available in the Appstore or scan the QR code using a QR code
scanner on your iPhone (you can download free QR scanners from the
Appstore). An App for Android smartphones is coming soon.  |
Also come visit our Etsy Shop. I will be listing the dye kits, organic cotton sliver & yarn and other yarns, fibers and naturally dyed products that don't really have a home on this site. Etsy is an amazing place to buy and sell handcrafted items.
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"Everything wonderful and beautiful was in that castle."
from The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
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News and Updates
Explore natural dyes with our new free eBook 09-26-2012 by Amy Clarke Moore
Once you've basked in the absolute joy that comes from learning how to spin, you might start casting around for other equally satisfying pursuits. One of those is dyeing your yarn with natural dyes. Just as ancient people learned that they could infuse their textiles with the colors of the earth and heavens using some pretty simple techniques, so can you.
Natural dyeing can be as simple as collecting tansy leaves from your garden or old tea from your cupboard, placing it and a skein of yarn in a canning jar filled with water out on your porch on a sunny day. Of course, it can be more involved as well—it depends on what colors you're looking for, the fibers you are dyeing, and the pH levels in your water supply. Continue...
Malaysia to host International Natural Dyes Symposium
September 25, 2012 (Malaysia)
The ‘International Symposium and Exhibition on Natural Dyes (ISEND) and the World Eco-Fibre and Textile (WEFT) Forum 2012’ will be held at Kuching, the capital city of Malaysian state of Sarawak, from 27th September to 1st October.
Jointly organized by the Kraftangan Malaysia and Society Atelier Sarawak (SAS), the five-day event with the theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’ will see participation of representatives from over 33 nations, according to Mr. Edric Ong, President of SAS.
At the event, nearly 40 papers will be presented by experts from various countries, including the US, UK, China, Russia, Poland, France, Sweden, Greece, India, Japan and Brazil, said Mr. Ong.
The conference will discuss various issues related to the cultural and economic revival of dyes and colorants.
Besides lectures, dyeing demonstrations and expos, the event will facilitate marketing of textiles and craft products.
The event will also help in formulating ideas to convert, recycle and
re-use waste plant materials into dyes, crafts, textiles and fashion. Read More...
Provide more grants for research: Maglin
News 2012-09-27 15:01
KUCHING, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- The government should provide more grants and funds for research initiatives to make natural colourants and dyes affordable as part of efforts to preserve and revitalise the country's customs and heritage, Information, Communications and Culture Deputy Minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz said today.He said promotion of products using natural dyes would have a spiral socio-economic impact to tribes and those living in the interiors, apart from the benefits of its daily applications. Read more...