I love to be inspired by what is around me. When I let the dogs out in the (very) early morning, I witness the morning mist creating layers of soft grays and pinks where the sun comes up behind the hills. I want to recreate those shades in natural dyes for a winter-inspired palette.
The Palette: Colors of Winter
The key to creating winter tones is subtlety. We’re not looking for bright or overly saturated shades but rather hues that are delicate, understated, and almost ethereal. I am usually the type that goes all out with saturated, vibrant shades, but for this look less will be more.
I have made a list of suggestions and I will write down how you can achieve them:
Frosty Blue Indigo, the cornerstone of any natural dyer’s palette, can produce pale, icy blues by controlling the number of dips in the vat. A single quick dip in a weak indigo vat results in a soft blue reminiscent of a clear winter sky. Woad blue, gives us a more gray version of winter blues, so that could be a great fit too!
I have new downloads on how to create a ferrous sulfate indigo vat, just make sure you cut the amount of indigo into a third:
Silvery Gray Iron modifiers are your best friend for achieving soft grays. Pair an iron mordant with tannin-rich plants like pomegranate skins or oak galls, which is a more purple gray. The result? Subtle, silvery tones perfect for winter projects.
Icy Lavender A surprising and delicate hue, icy lavender can be achieved by combining madder or lac with a touch of iron. The key is to use very diluted dye baths to maintain the cool, pale quality of the shade.
Pale Green Achieving a frosty green is all about blending yellow and blue tones. Start with a light weld or fustic base and finish with a quick indigo dip or a light iron modifier.
Mossy greens: henna is your friend when it comes to mossy greens. Use a ferrous sulfate modifier after dyeing for those perfect greens that look like they came straight out of the winter forrest.
Steps to Create Your Winter Tones Palette
Here are some simple guidelines to help you get started with these cool, wintry hues:
Prepare Your Fabric Use a soft, creamy base fabric like silk noil, which lends itself beautifully to natural dyes and enhances the muted, frosty effect. Mordant your fabric with alum or iron, depending on your desired tones.
Start with Light Dye Baths Use weaker dye concentrations to avoid overly saturated colors. Icy tones are achieved through restraint. My usual recommendations in the product descriptions are for a saturated hue, you can take a third of the recomendation to keep your color pale.
Experiment with Overdyeing and Modifiers The magic of natural dyes often lies in layering. For example, dip a fabric in a weak indigo vat after dyeing it with weld to achieve pale green, or apply an iron modifier to soften and cool down warm colors.
Document Your Process Keep notes on your recipes and processes. The delicate balance needed for icy tones is easier to replicate when you have detailed records of mordants, dye concentrations, and modifiers.
Winter Dyeing: A Quiet Season
I think this is the ultimate time to connect to the slower and quiter pace of the season.
f you’d like to start your own winter palette, visit the shop, where you’ll find a selection of natural dye powders perfect for these tones. I’d love to see the palettes you create—tag me in your photos on Instagram or share them in the comments below!
Let’s celebrate winter with the magic of natural dyes.
Warm (or should I say cool?) wishes,
Suzanne Tamar Dekel