Using Elderberry Dye

The vibrant purple of elderberries scream to be soaked up into textile fibers.

I had worked with dried elderberries in a previous post and was excited to work with fresh berries.

This however did not flow as planned. I started a solar dye while temperatures were soaring but smokey skies made me ignore getting around to straining the dye.

Days late in straining it still gave a beautiful vivid dye. Before going off for a few days I threw in some fibers, wool blend roving,wool blend yarn and cotton thread.

However, no amount of extra time gave color to my fiber. It's muted tone is still nice but I was a little disappointed. I think it's a result of a combination of factors.

• First, I did not use a mordant. I like to try not using it in the first go round to see what happens. I may try another batch with a mordant because the color of the dye itself is amazing.

• Second, I have a feeling there is not much wool in the blends and am hoping to get some 100% wool soon. I am also thinking of trying silk in strips.

Now looking forward to the next solar dye adventure!