Natural dyes from fungus

Dyer’s polypore fungus
I’d been thinking about using plants from my environment to dye fabrics. Literally a few days later, this large dyer’s polypore was there, steps from my door, a gift from the woods. It was a sign! As a mushroom gatherer, I’m fascinated by theses intense little plants that I find scattered in the woods. I’d read that one could get a range of colours from them I’m resolved to learn more. My first excursion into natural dyes was with turmeric root.
Dyer’s polypore is a shelf fungus that feels velvety to the touch. It’s often found growing on a root near the base of evergreens. This one’s a beauty. It was a bit of pity to cut it, but it will be transmuted to make more beauty, so it seems a fair exchange. Depending on the mordant added, it can yield from creamy yellow through olive and khaki.
After slicing it up and simmering it in water for several hours, I left it to soak for several days. I washed Dorr wool, silk and some beige linen that had been soaked in a solution of alum as a mordant to hold the colour. I set the simmered the dye pot on the stove, along with the fabrics for a couple of hours. A range of really lovely soft buttery yellows emerged. It tuns out dyer’s polypore is a good mordant in itself. So once the dye was spent, I stewed up the remains with some sumac leaves to make a pot of mordant for more linen wool and silk. Here are some of the lovely yellows from this gift of the woods.
Wow, these yellows are beautiful, rich and luscious.
beautiful colours.. looks like fun!
Thank you Val. We have these fungi in our wood lot and I didn’t realize they could be used to dye fibre. They are lovely in their own right but but I think I could justify harvesting a few for the dye pot. I haven’t done much dyeing but I’d like to try using natural materials. Thank you for sharing the idea and the method you used. Marion
Lovely to hear from you Marion. It has been so much fun – just the little I’ve done.
Thank you for the excellent photos and story, Val. I loved seeing the beautiful results.
So much fun, Val, and gorgeous colours from a gorgeous polypore. Lovely blog post—thanks!
This is thrilling!
life is an adventure isn’t it?
xo
Endless alchemy!
Just beautiful – wish you’d come and do a few workshops here!!! Hugs xxx
Can you imagine the colour possibilities from South African plants? Oh my!