#JapaneseKnotweed: an invasive plant's potential for innovation

Classified as an Invasive Alien Species (#IAS), Japanese knotweed is renowned for undermining ecosystems. But some researchers, designers and architects are approaching the tenacious Asian perennial as a resource to create new material solutions for fine crafts, but also for industry. Formes de Luxe shines a light on four makers that are turning this ‘nuisance’ plant into an opportunity.

Christel Trinquier
Published on 01/08/2024

Excerpt: "Inspiring bio-concrete

In the UK, architect Irene Roca Moracia and designer Brigitte Kock (both graduates of Central Saint Martins) have also seized on the potential of invasive knotweed to create what they dub 'bio-concrete'. The material, developed as part of the LVMH Group's Maison/0 program for regenerative luxury, is inspired by the cement made in ancient Rome. Except that in this case, knotweed replaces wood ash and/or volcanic ash. Once incinerated, it is mixed with water and the shells of American signal crayfish - another invasive species in Europe threatening native fauna. The material is then poured into molds to obtain the desired shape.

"No heat treatment is needed as hardening takes place in the open air and no pigments are added either: the final textures and shades depend on factors including the proportions of ingredients in the mix, hardening times and reactions that occur between the water, aggregates (crayfish shells) and the Japanese knotweed binder. With the appearance of raw concrete, marble or natural stone, the duo's hand-shaped bio-concrete tiles come in a range of shades from white to wine-red, with or without inclusions of knotweed root fragments.

"For the moment the material is purely decorative as it cannot integrate structural architectural elements but is suited to store interiors, window displays or even in caps and ornamental pieces for packaging."

Read more:
https://www.formesdeluxe.com/article/japanese-knotweed-what-material-solutions.64278

#SolarPunkSunday #Cosmetics #SustainableFurniture #Bioconcrete #NaturalDyes #Paper #Fiber #BambooSubstitute #Cellulose #FallopiaJaponica

@DoomsdaysCW @glitch25

I've always joked that I'll never stop dying my hair and that when the apocalypse comes I'll be gathering twigs and berries to do the job no matter what color it ends up. The apocalypse feels near, maybe I should start researching this a little deeper.

#DyePlants #SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Dyes #PlantDyes #Amaranth #BachelorsButtons #BlackWalnut #ButterflyPea #Calendula #Canaigre #Cosmos #Goldenrod #Madder

One more about #DyePlants...

21 Garden Plants to Use as Natural Dyes

You’ve heard of vegetable and cut flower gardens, but what about dye gardens? Dying yarn and fabrics with plant-based dyes allows you to create beautiful hues and develop a new appreciation for plants. If you’re not sure where to get started, join Briana Yablonski to learn 21 plants you can use as natural dyes.

Written by Briana Yablonski Horticulture review by Sarah Jay Last updated: May 1, 2024

"very so often, a new question strikes me. A few years ago, I found myself wondering how people transformed neutral-colored wool, cotton, and silk into shades of pink, blue, and yellow. I knew I could find synthetic dyes in tie-dye kits and commercial clothing factories, but I wondered how people colored their clothing, rugs, and linens before these products existed. Amazingly, many natural plant dyes can be grown right in our home gardens!

While not all natural dyes come from plants, there are more than a handful of flowers, leaves, and fruit that offer beautiful colors. Since dyeing is a chemical process strongly affected by pH, adding materials like soda and citric acid allows you to use one dye source to create multiple colors.

You’re welcome to experiment with natural plant dyes of any species, but some plants are known to produce particularly vibrant colors. Try dyeing with a few of the following plants to see the range of colors the botanical world offers."

Learn more:
https://www.epicgardening.com/natural-plant-dyes/

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts
#NaturalDyes #Dyes #PlantDyes #Amaranth #BachelorsButtons #BlackWalnut #ButterflyPea #Calendula #Canaigre #Cosmos #Goldenrod #Madder

How to Make #NaturalDyes in Every Color: A Step-by-Step Guide

Grace Waters - December 31, 2023

Excerpt: "Which Ingredients Will Make Which Colors?

You can use practically any plant, produce or spice to make a natural dye. Many of those ingredients are available year-round. Here’s how to make natural dyes with every color under the rainbow.

Red

Produce like raspberries, cherries, cranberries, and pokeberries will make rich dyes. You can also use hibiscus, rose, amaranth, and hollyhock plants. Most deeply red flower petals will produce saturated pigments. Beetroots will make a pink dye that is incredibly vibrant.

Orange

The flower calendula makes for a fantastic natural orange dye. To get that classic, bright color, use carrots or orange peels. Surprisingly, pomegranates can also produce deep orange hues.

Yellow

Tumeric is incredibly vibrant and easily stains. Ginger is another good spice, but it isn’t as bright. Flowers like goldenrod, yarrow, black-eyed Susan, and dandelions produce varying shades of yellow. You can also use lemon peels.

Green

You can use almost any plant’s stems and leaves to make a vibrant green color. Leafy greens like spinach also work well. If you want a very bright shade, you may have to add some blue.

Indigo

Blue flowers like bachelor buttons and Russian sage will create unique, rich hues. Of course, you can also use blueberries for a very dark dye. Red cabbage makes a classic, bright purple color. If you want something more saturated and subtle, use blackberries.

Brown

Red onion skin and #acorns can make light brown or tan dyes. If you want something darker, use #BlackWalnuts or used coffee beans."

Read more:
https://environment.co/how-to-make-natural-dyes/

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Dyes #Wildflowers #PlantDyes

Beginner’s Guide to Natural Dyes

By Ashley Adamant, Last Updated Feb 22, 2025, Published Oct 30, 2024

"Natural dyes are a fun way to experience the natural world, and plants, mushrooms, lichnes and moss not only decorate our world, they have hidden color inside that can dye fabrics, paper, wood and more. Whether you’re interested in a fun craft to do with your kids or if you’ve always wanted to change the color of your clothes on a whim, I’ll walk you through how to use natural materials to dye your fabrics."

Read more [include reference books!]:
https://practicalselfreliance.com/natural-dyes/

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Dyes #PlantDyes

Native Plant Dyes

"Plants have been used for natural dyeing since before recorded history. The staining properties of plants were noted by humans and have been used to obtain and retain these colors from plants throughout history. Native plants and their resultant dyes have been used to enhance people's lives through decoration of animal skins, fabrics, crafts, hair, and even their bodies.

"Types of Dyes

"Natural dye materials that produce durable, strong colors and do not require the addition of other substances to obtain the desired outcome are called substantive or direct dyes. Sumac (Rhus spp.) and walnut (Juglans spp.) are native plant examples of direct dyes. Because these species are high in tannic acid, they do not require additional substances to be added for the dye to attach to fibers and form a durable bond. Dyes that need this type of assistance are called adjective or mordant dyes.

"Mordants

"Mordants are water-soluble chemicals, usually metallic salts, which create a bond between dye and fiber thus increasing the adherence of various dyes to the item being dyed. The actual color one gets from a natural dye depends not only on the source of the dye but also on the mordant, and the item being dyed.

"Most mordant recipes also call for the addition of cream of tartar or tartaric acid. Use of this readily available spice is important because it reduces fiber stiffness that can occur because of mordanting. It can also increase brightness."

Learn more:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/dyes.shtml

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/F3Dp3

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Gardening #Foraging #TraditionalArts #Ethnobotany #Dyes #Wildflowers #PlantDyes

And yeah, I've seen urine used for various purposes, but not as a dye mordant... Not for the squeamish!

20 Natural Dye Plants You Can Forage and Grow in Your Garden

By Catherine Winter

Excerpt: "Would you prefer to go a super-natural route, since you’re using plant-based dyes? If you’re aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are also all-organic mordant options as well.

Natural Mordants:

- Sumac: Simmer fresh sumac twigs for about an hour, strain out the twiggy bits, and reduce the liquid by half
- Urine: human urine is ideal for mordanting, but you’ll need to age it. Collect it in a jar and allow it to age for several days. [🤢 ]
- Salt: You can use standard table salt as a mordant, but Kosher salt can yield some of the strongest color-fastness. [I've used that]
- Vinegar [That too]
- Wood ash lye

"You’ve probably noticed that some of these are alkaline, and some are acidic. Alkaline mordants tend to work best with plant-based fibers like cotton, linen, and #hemp. In contrast, acidic mordants like vinegar are better with animal fibers like #wool, #alpaca, and #angora.

"Note that if you use an acidic mordant and your colors still run, you can set the color by dipping the fabric in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. In contrast, if you’ve used an alkaline mordant like lye or baking soda [another one I've used], an acidic solution will strip the color rather than setting it." [Been there, done that!]

Learn more [includes a list of #DyePlants -- does not include #BlackWalnuts though]:
https://morningchores.com/dye-plants/

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Gardening #Foraging #Goldenrod #Elderberries #Chicory #Beets #Onions #RedCabbage

#Dyeing with Acorns and Walnuts: From Forest to Fiber

"Natural dyeing with acorns and walnuts produces lovely tans, browns, grays, and blacks. Join me as I take you through the process. My property is filled with oak trees, so acorns are not hard for me to find. They are one of the first natural dyes I learned to extract.

"Walnuts produce a very similar dye to acorns, when pigment is extracted from the green outer hull. Both nuts create brown, with acorns leaning more tan, and walnuts leaning more red, in my experience. In this project, I combined acorns and walnuts, both leftover from previous dye pots. These nuts contain a lot of pigment! I used leftovers, but you can get beautiful results with freshly foraged nuts."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6NJFUth0Ko

#SolarPunkSunday #NaturalDyes #DIY #Foraging #Acorns #Walnuts

@DoomsdaysCW Just found this page on dyeing with medicinal plants, from Herbal Revolution. Includes directions on process, mentions goldenrod. Thought you might find useful.

https://www.herbalrev.com/blogs/wellness/dyeing-with-medicinal-plants

#NaturalDyes
#PlantDyes
#Solarpunk

Lovely essay about "making a living" as a natural fiber artist and natural dyer, by Rachel Bingham Kessler.

https://44clovers.com/2023/10/16/making-a-living/

Bio- https://medomakfiberartsretreat.com/instructors/

#fiberarts
#NaturalDyes

#eastereggs #naturaldyes #climateaction #crafting

My recent dye project: an indigo and rust dyed shawl. I’m not entirely happy with it but I did learn a lot. #naturaldyes #indigo