1 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,880 Hello, I'm Sian Hutchings, and I'm an art and design lecturer. 2 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,000 And today we're going to be doing bundle dyeing. 3 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,640 OK, so it's a fabric dyeing technique, 4 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,080 but today we're going to be using natural materials. 5 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,520 So these are materials you can source from your garden. 6 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,080 If you're going on a walk, you can source the materials in your kitchen cupboards. 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,920 So a really accessible way 8 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:42,560 to start fabric dyeing. 9 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,040 So tools you'll need and materials you'll need for 10 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:55,880 this is just a plain white T-shirt or you could use socks 11 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,680 or tea towels or bits of old cloth you've got lying around. 12 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,440 You'll need some white vinegar, 13 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,560 which most people have in their bathroom or kitchen cupboards. 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,760 It's just really great for cleaning, but also good for fabric dyeing. 15 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:15,760 Your natural dyes. 16 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,480 So here I've got some flowers. 17 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,360 So again, the more pigmented the color, the better. 18 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,200 So flowers from your garden. 19 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,960 You know, it's the end of summer now, so you probably need to 20 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:30,840 get rid of them anyway. 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:32,840 You can use stuff like turmeric. 22 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,120 So if you've got turmeric 23 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:38,000 or curry spices in your kitchen cupboard, those are great, too. 24 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,440 I've got some lavender, so it gets rid of the smell of the white vinegar. 25 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:46,560 And I've also got stinging nettles. 26 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,280 They're a really great dye. 27 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,480 Obviously, if you're using stinging nettles, wear gloves. 28 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:57,320 I've got Blackberries and I've also got onion skins. 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:03,920 And you can use any type of onion skins, red onions, brown onions. 30 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,800 And you can also use avocado as well. 31 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,160 So everything should be available already. 32 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,200 You shouldn't even have to need to buy anything. 33 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:15,840 I've also got a pot 34 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,400 on a low heat, about 60 degrees. 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,200 So you just want the water at boiling temperature. 36 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:28,000 A stick or something that I can tie 37 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,920 my t shirt around and a spoon. 38 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,000 OK, so step one, if you've got all your materials. 39 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,640 We just want to coat the T-shirt in the white vinegar. 40 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,800 OK, so this is the stinky bit so you might want to hold your nose. 41 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,400 And I'm just soaking the fabric in the white vinegar. 42 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,080 And the reason we do this is it helps the dye. 43 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:01,120 It helps coax the dye out of the material we're using. 44 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,520 And usually, if you're doing 45 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,360 you know, if you're a fashion designer and you were doing 46 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,360 fabric dyeing professionally, then it's usually a three step process. 47 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,720 And we usually scour the fabric first. 48 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,280 That just means washing the fabric. 49 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,120 So you want to start with a clean t shirt, preferably. 50 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,600 And then we would mordant the fabric and mordanting 51 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,920 is using something like aluminum 52 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,400 sulfate or iron or white vinegar. 53 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,880 And this is the stuff that will help the dye and the colors last longer. 54 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,200 And the reason why we spray the white vinegar 55 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,800 first is we don't want to make our lovely design. 56 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,720 And then spray and it goes woof and falls off. 57 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,200 So I think that's enough. 58 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,280 Second step is really creating the pattern. 59 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,360 I like to just throw everything on the plate. 60 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,920 Obviously, if you're using stuff like nettles please wear a glove. 61 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,320 So I'm just going to lay my dye material. 62 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,640 Onto my fabric. Stuff like Blackberries, obviously, 63 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,000 you can see the dye and the color coming out straight away. 64 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:25,120 OK, so I think I've got enough Blackberries and nettles on there. 65 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,280 And now I'm going to go in with some Marigold's. 66 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:32,720 I'll take my glove off so I've got a bit more control. 67 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:36,800 And if you're using like 68 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,480 flowers, they can be dried or fresh. 69 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:41,960 It doesn't really matter. 70 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:46,480 But if you're using dried flowers I like to crunch them up first. 71 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:51,040 So if you've got a pestle and mortar at home, you can ground them up in that 72 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,160 and just sprinkle it over the t shirt. 73 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,000 And actually, for natural dyes, 74 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,120 you don't have to do - this is bundle dyeing. 75 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,240 But if you want to dye a T-shirt, 76 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,800 just one color, for example, you would do a very similar process. 77 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,880 You have your T-shirt, but you would have 78 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,240 lots of nettles or lots of Blackberries and you just boil them. 79 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,360 And usually if you're if you're soaking it 80 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,360 in one color, it's best to leave it overnight. 81 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:29,400 So boil the product or the material for about an hour 82 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:35,200 and then let it sit overnight, strain the dye material. 83 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,120 OK, so get rid of the nettles and just keep the liquid. 84 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,440 And then you would boil your t shirt 85 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,880 or whatever you're using in that dye for about an hour. 86 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,840 So once you've got your design in place, 87 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,680 the next thing to do is we want to roll it up. 88 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,800 And it doesn't matter which way you want to roll it, 89 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,280 but we want to roll it maybe on a stick or something. 90 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:06,120 Or if you've got an old broom handle, anything you've got lying around. 91 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:10,400 Preferably not plastic, because we're going to be steaming it. 92 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:15,880 And you just want to wrap it is tightly as you can around the fabric. 93 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:28,040 And again, this is messy fingers. 94 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,680 Blackberries are a really good one at this time of year 95 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,440 because you can find them anywhere. 96 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,840 And they've got a really strong dye. 97 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,080 And you can eat them as well. 98 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,840 Preferably not after you've dyed it though 99 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,880 OK, so once I've got it wrapped up on my stick, 100 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:05,480 I'm now going to use some string/yarn/thread. 101 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,320 Anything you've got lying around 102 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,800 and I'm going to wind it as tightly as I can around the pole. 103 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,000 Obviously, when we're using natural dyes, 104 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,000 the color will fade over time, 105 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,240 which is why we use the white vinegar. 106 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,840 But the key here is that we're not harming 107 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:44,520 the environment. 108 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,240 OK. And before I steam this, I'm going to give it 109 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,080 another spray with the white vinegar just to make sure it's completely soaked. 110 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,400 But as you can see, there's already color starting to come through. 111 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,880 If you're doing this with children, 112 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,400 this might be the bit that you take control of 113 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,880 and don't let them near because there'll be a lot of steam 114 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:22,200 and it will be really hot. 115 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,040 If you've got something like a colander 116 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,080 obviously you can put it in there and you can cover it 117 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,000 to get more steam on to it. 118 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,040 But essentially now you've got the steam 119 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,640 going onto the T-shirt and on to the fabric. 120 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,920 You want to keep that steaming for about 50 minutes. 121 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:49,960 OK, up to an hour. 122 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,320 If you want a more saturated color, it's even best to leave it overnight. 123 00:08:54,680 --> 00:08:59,840 So what you would do is cook it for an hour, take it off the heat, 124 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,640 and before you unravel it and wash it, leave it overnight. 125 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:11,480 OK, so it's been 126 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,720 about 40 minutes now, so I'm going to unravel it. 127 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:20,880 Of course, like I said before, if you want to turn it off the heat now 128 00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:24,480 and then leave it to soak overnight. 129 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,560 You would get the best effects. 130 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:29,880 You would get a more saturated color. 131 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:34,080 But for the purposes of the video, I'm just going to unravel it now. 132 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,360 So obviously, if you leave it overnight, it will be fine, 133 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:44,520 but if you're impatient, like I am, it is going to be hot. 134 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:46,880 So just be aware 135 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,320 that the fabric will be hot. 136 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:55,960 And the great thing about natural dyes is you can find materials all year round. 137 00:09:55,960 --> 00:10:00,280 So obviously, September, autumn is the best time for Blackberries, 138 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:05,800 but spring is better for nettles and docks wood. 139 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:10,000 But also pine cones create a good dye. 140 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,440 And then obviously food stuffs, you can get them all year round. 141 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:23,720 So you could literally make a spring/summer, autumn/winter collection. Ta da. 142 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:45,560 Ta da! 143 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:49,560 So now what you want to do is obviously it's really messy, 144 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,520 so you just want to rinse in cold water 145 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,680 and remove any of the excess material. 146 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:00,640 Don't eat the Blackberries because they probably won't taste nice now 147 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,000 they've been soaked in white vinegar. 148 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,200 Obviously, with natural dyes, 149 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,560 the color isn't going to last as long as synthetic dyes. 150 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,360 So to make it last longer, I'd put it on a delicate wash 151 00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:21,680 at about 30 degrees, like you would do your wools 152 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:23,760 or your woolen jumpers 153 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,360 And there you have it, there's your naturally die T-shirt.