Secrets of Plant-Based Dyes

A full palette of colours can be achieved by varying mordants; blending dyes together (i.e. cutch and cochineal, madder and logwood); and overdyeing (indigo gives greens on osage or burgundies on madder). Many dyes are available as raw material (ground leaves, petals, roots etc.) some are always sold as extracts (fustic, lac, indigo) and some are available in a specially prepared, concentrated extract form.