BEAUTIFUL SILKS ECO-DYED DIVISION -

Sustainable fabrics yarns and garments.

Our Eco-dyeing techniques are the most historical, natural form of fabric dye. Only plant dyes are used to produce beautiful colour. Eco-dye is colour from nature using methods that have been used for centuries.

A great source for natural dyes can be found right in your own back yard! Roots, nuts and flowers are just a few common natural ways to get many colours. The eco-dye Beautiful Silks uses comes from fruit vegetable and flower scraps, leaves or roots from trees and plants that naturally produce permanent colour. Yellow, orange, blue, red, green, brown and grey are available. There is wide variation in the specific steps suggested for natural dyeing. Traditions vary widely from culture to cultural and there are many ways to do things. We use the method set out by India Flint in her book, Eco-Colour.

There is no need for chemicals nor anything artificial in the process from beginning to end. Beautiful Silks does not use chemical mordants or anything else artificial in the process. You are assured a quality item that has been dyed with respect and care for our health and environment.

We soak the materials overnight, or even for several days, before heating up the dye liquor to a simmer, where it remains for thirty minutes.  Unlike methods used in the USA we do not use poisonous mordants in our eco-dyeing... it takes the eco out of the process, so many of our dyed materials will naturally fade over time.   We use multiple extractions, often mashing materials to extract the colour from the dye materials. For a stronger shade, we allow material to soak in the dye overnight.

The water used is very important as the ph and impurities affect dye quality. High mineral contents in your water supply will act as a mordant and grossly alter your expected dye colours. We use country-gathered rainwater. 

 
Beautiful Silks is dedicated to preserving the eco-process of producing natural colour. We use reusable vats and pots when dying, we store our leftover batches of eco-dye in recycled containers, and when a batch no longer produces colour, we use it to water our garden. Zero waste is produced. There is no harm to the environment. No run-off. No contamination. No pollution. No toxicity. Just pure simple beautiful colour.

Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise that we can't eat money. ~Native American Indian Cree proverb~