Who would have thought that this weed Tagetes minuta easily grown in the UK makes a good dye. It has grown so high and so much that I don’t know what do with it initially. It has got a strong mint smell as one walks past. I have to yet to decide on what recipes I can make the best of this herb. However, I found out just recently they make good dye yay!!
I quite like fabric dyeing at the moment a bit like cooking similiar but different in many ways.
I have chop down the tagetes minuta leaves that are quite old and not longer can be eaten to use as dyes. Then I blend them in my kitchen blender. After all it’s an edible item right? Once it’s blend I wasn’t too sure if I should heat it up anyway I did and it turn to greenish yellow hue. I add a bit vinegar and the yellow colour becomes much stronger.
I add the mordant dye fibre protein and cellulose in the dye mixture and let them out to dry overnight. It’s nearly 2 degrees at night here at the moment so it will a few days to dry out. At the moment I am quite please with the yellow vibrant colours even with none mordant protein and cellulose fibres the colours are just as vibrant. Maybe I didn’t add enough alum to the mordant pot. The pattern on the cloth is from the tie dye simple shibori method using rubber bands.
So I will be trying to dye as much using tagetes minuta till the plant dies off from frost. Or just dry the leaves as much as I can so I have a regular supply of tagetes minute for the dye pot. It is a great and easy plant to grow in one’s garden. As it also acts as natural pesticide against neighbouring crops.
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