6. DYE PLANTS: Grow dye plants in your own garden, to dye textiles in a rainbow of beautiful natural colours.

Cornerstone dye plants Throughout history the plants that produce the best dyes include indigo, madder, woad, weld, turmeric, saffron, noni, and henna. I’m growing many of these cornerstone dye plants in my garden, and depending on your climate, you might be able to grow them too.  I'll tell you about these wonderful dye plants and some of the dyeing basics you need to know. Non-cornerstone dye plants A huge range of other plants, not usually considered dye plants, contain substances that impart colour to textiles. Some work better than others. Your colour results will be best if you use white or unbleached natural material such as cotton, linen, or wool. The colours you’ll end up with will vary greatly depending on such variables as the plants used, the time the fabric spends in the dye bath, the mordant you use and whether you do more than one dip.  I'll give you a list of colours, along with the plants that can produce those colours for you to use in your home made dye bath. See our photos on Instagram at Mill Cottage, the Little House on the Peninsula Watch our videos on YouTube at Craftsteading Visit our website at www.craftsteading.com