I have grown dahlia in my garden just for eating?!! I have yet to try any of them as the dahlias are still flowering at the moment. I have out recently that one can use the dahlia flowers and ivy for dyeing. I have an ivy that is growing round the elderflower tree in the garden. So I am dying to chop it down. What more a better reason to put them in dye pot before it goes to the compost bin.

Dahlia flowers

The flowers are very pretty and with the autumn they are blooming like mad. I have started rolling the fresh flowers (that about the drop off) up in cotton muslin with some ivy bark and leaves. I have found the ivy by chance while looking to buy some mordant and natural dyes online. Dried ivy leaves for sale?? what on earth ?!! I suppose it’s for people who don’t have an excess to a garden.

I started laying them on the dye ready cotton muslin cloth first. Roll it up and tie them up with piece of old yarn. if not one can use a piece of string. One can also put some lime juice if there is any.

Then I steam it like I normally do for procion dyes. This so that with heat from steaming the dye will adhere to the cloth easily. I left it the dye pot overnight.

To make any item dye ready I recommend using synthrapol as it helps to remove an excess oil from the fiber before dying. One can also use washing powder but a lot has written that it doesn’t all the oil.

The next day I remove as much of the dahlia and ivy away. It is then hung to dry outside on a washing line. Once its dry wash the dyed fabric out with synthrapol again.