Plant Dyes: Dyer's Chamomile Flowers

If I had to pick one dye plant to try as a beginner this would be it.

Dyer’s Chamomile is one of the few traditional dye plants that I grow.  Its bright yellow daisy flowers are very potent - giving a beautiful mid golden yellow on their own and a soft green with iron.  It is also a great colour to overdye with onion skins for a zingy orange.

When using dried dye materials you need far less then you do with fresh leaves. Depending on the depth of colour you want, use from 10-15 % the weight of fibres. To prepare the plant material for dyeing with put it in your dye pot and pour boiling water over it, exactly as if you were making tea, then let it steep for at least six hours, overnight is even better. Then proceed as though you had fresh material.

The leaves come in an beautiful string and washer envelope - allowing you to use a few flowers if you are dyeing something small.

The photos show samples of wool, cotton, and linen dyed with Dyer’s Chamomile.

Each pack comes with full instructions.