natural dyes from Montauk

I made some natural dyes here in my studio in Montauk from beach roses, red cabbage and turmeric. Here are the results on silk scarves!

making dye from beach roses

Today I’m making dye from Montauk beach roses. I collected these on the roadside by the ocean this summer and saved the dye in glass Ball jars in my studio to reuse. That’s the wonderful thing about natural dyes: you can reuse them over and over again! Plus there’s no environmental impact, which I love. So I simmered the rose petals for about an hour in water with some vinegar and alum as a mordant to set the dye into the fabric. I dyed up a silk scarf which came out a soft rose, delicate color. This past summer I dyed up a poncho cover up from my Beach collection in this same dye that I had just made.

flower dyes in jars

Here are the finished flower and plant dyes I made- don’t they look beautiful?

from left to right: red cabbage, pansies, red maple leaves, beach roses, onion skins, buttercups

making dye from beach roses (rosa rugosa)

Some rose hips in close-up (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Rosa Rugosa specimen in the province of Québec, Canada. Français : Un spécimen de Rosa Rugosa observé au Québec, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Japanese “shore eggplant” or Korean “haedanghwa” (flowers near the seashore), rosa rugosa flowers are edible and have the strongest and sweetest of rose scents! I’m so lucky to live by the sea and enjoy their fresh sweet scent as I walk by the water in May and June.

They can be displayed in a vase (but they have millions of tiny thorns, so be extra careful if when picking or cutting!)

The rose hips (harvested in the Fall) can be used for rose hip tea, preserves , jelly or wine- yum!

In this dye bath I used 1 tsp vinegar, and 2 tsp alum for a mordant, and 1 tsp cream of tartar. I simmered the flowers for about 2 hours then added my fabric swatches. Lovely dusty pink color- and your clothing will smell like roses!

wash in cold water.