Medieval Dyes

by Jodi Smith,
published by Spinning Madly, 1995
March 2003 revised edition

The perfect dyebook for historical reenactors.
Get authentic, bright colors on wool, cotton, linen, and silk.

tapestry color sample

Contains

Discussion of 48 historical dyestuffs
Thirty-six natural dye recipes, tested by the author
Results of the author’s lightfastness tests
Recipes for scouring fibers
Updated recipes for mordanting before or after dyeing
Safety advice
Discussion of 24 chemicals used in dyeing (What is the difference between “potash” and “pearl ash”?)
Conversions between traditional “English” and metric units
Index of dyestuffs by common names and by scientific names
Annotated bibliography of over 50 sources for further study
Fun facts (The Romans used walnut husks as a hair dye. “Alizarin”, a pigment found in madder root, is named after the Persian word for madder dye, “al lizari”.)
22 black and white illustrations, by the late C. Ellen Young
1 color photo

114 pages
Comb binding -- Stays open and lays flat on your work table. Won’t break like “perfect binding” (glued paperbacks).
Waterproof front and back covers (acetate and vinyl)

“… a warm and chatty companion in the dye kitchen …. Medieval Dyes is a handy and thoughtful resource guide and will hold its own in your fiber library.”

Gail Denton, Costume & Dressmaker magazine, January 1997

colored yarns on clothesline

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onion skin dyed yarns in notebook

A Typical Entry

WELD

Reseda luteola

dyer's mignonette

Pigment: luteolin

Plant:

An annual or biennial plant, native to Britain, Europe, and the Mediterranean. The dye is produced in the leaves. Wild mignonette, Reseda lutea, gives similar but weaker colors.

History:

The Greek writer Dioscorides, in the 1st century a.d., lists weld as a dyeplant. The Romans used weld to dye wedding garments and the robes of the Vestal Virgins. The Persians used weld dye.

In the Middle Ages, weld was grown as a dyeplant throughout Europe and Britain. Rosetti, writing in Italy, probably in 1548, includes recipes for yellow dye, and for a green dye on linen using weld and verdigris.

Weld continued in use until the 19th century when "old" fustic and quercitron became more economical yellow dyes.

Dye:

Weld has the reputation of not being a very concentrated dye (compared to fustic or quercitron), but it is more concentrated than many dye flowers.

Weld works best with a slightly alkaline dyebath.

Keep the bath well stirred because the pigment tends to settle to bottom of pot.

Do not boil the dyebath, as boiling may make the yellows turn brownish.

Weld gives lemon yellow on wool and silk with alum mordant, greenish yellow with copper, and olive with iron. The colors are lightfast. There are mixed reports on how successfully weld dyes cotton.

Recipe:

Use dried leaves, equal to 1/2 the weight of fabric.

Crumble the leaves and soak in warm water 6 hours.

Add a pinch of washing soda and the fibers. Simmer fibers 1 hour.

wool & silk cotton & linen

alum: yellow yellowish brown

alum & copper: yellow yellowish brown

copper: brownish green yellow

iron: dark greenish brown brown

illustration for Madder madder illustration

About the Author

Jodi Smith raises goats on a small farm in western Maine, near the White Mountains. Jodi spins, weaves, dyes, knits, and makes goat cheese for her family. She is member of the Down Home Spinners, and a former officer of the Northern Colorado Weavers’ Guild. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval living-history group. Besides the goats, she has 3 Churro sheep, chickens, ducks, heirloom turkeys, and 2 cats on the farm.

Jodi graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1976, with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Jodi’s background in chemical engineering, and her interests in fiber and in medieval life all lead to her work with natural dyes. Medieval Dyes, based on her own experimental research, is her first book

Jodi’s husband has a job with a real paycheck, but he still finds time to help fix the pasture fences. Their 12-year-old daughter loves playing with the goats, and hates homework and cleaning her room.

Within the Society for Creative Anachronism, Jodi is known as Mistress Drahomira Jaroslavna. She is a member of the Order of the Laurel, and resides in the Province of Malagentia, in the East Kingdom.

Jodi with silk

updated March 30, 2012

Decorated Pysanky Eggs Market Bag from Recycled Grocery Sacks