Experimenting with dyeing flax fibre
7 May 2007
I happily accepted an invitation to fly down to Queenstown and take a two-day flax weaving workshop for the local Art Society, and we made several different flowers, a small kete with a plaited fibre handle, a large container, and a square box. Creativity took over when some of the participants decided to convert the square boxes to bowls with rolled edges half-way through weaving them, a style inspired by the flax bowl that I presented to my hostess as a thank-you gift.
In response to a last-minute request from one of the participants — an experienced fibre artist — to learn flax dyeing, we needed to get around the problem that the venue didn’t have a facility to keep water on the boil. I knew that flax as pure fibre could be dyed without boiling it in water, and I happened to have some fibre from a working flax mill in Riverton, so I packed this for the trip along with bottles of red dye and purple dye, two colours that had been requested and neither of which I’d used before. 
On the second day of the workshop, I filled a large pot with boiling water, stirred in the red dye and then the fibre. Whoops! The fibre turned bright hot pink, not a popular colour! With the addition of some of the purple dye, it changed to a vibrant midnight blue-purple, much more acceptable. A second pot was used to dye a hank of fibre purple and then a hank was dyed with an end of it in each pot. The final two hanks dyed to a lighter colour as the dye was beginning to get used up. Each student ended up with a mixed bundle of all the coloured fibre — which could used for plaited handles or other weaving.
This was the first workshop the Queenstown Art Society had hosted that didn’t focus mainly on painting. From feedback from the participants, it seems the workshop was much enjoyed — I have heard that some just can’t stop weaving — and suggestions have been made for another flax workshop in the future.
September 5th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
what was the name of the red? because i loved the the way the colours mix together.
and awsome taste 2
September 6th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Hi Georgie
The dye I used here was Teri Dyes Red. As you may know, the flax fibre takes the dye differently from flax strips so, if you use the Teri Dyes Red on flax strips, the result will probably be another variation of the colour.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Tena Koe Ali,
I don’t get much time to experiment and at this time I am thoroughly enjoying colours. I work with flax and have been using Rit dye. The mordant is 1 cup of salt and my dyeing is colourful but dull. It has no sheen to it as I have seen in other flax kete. I am wondering whether it’s the salt and whether a mordant is necessary. I have purchased some Dylon to try soon and is a mordant necessary for the Dylon. I came across your site while trying to find info on mordants. I appreciate your site and knowledge. Na Hinehuia
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Hi Hinehuia
I’m not entirely sure why some dyed flax loses its sheen while other dyed flax retains a sheen, but I have noticed that boiled flax that has dried off before it is dyed usually ends up with a matte finish. In other words, if you’re boiling the flax before dyeing it, it may be best to dye the flax while it is still moist from boiling. Also, if you’re dyeing the flax after weaving it, I’d suggest you dye it while the flax is still fresh. (Incidentally, I don’t usually dye a piece after it has been woven as I’m not keen on the way the dye doesn’t always fully penetrate the weaving).
I’ve also noticed that white marks often appear when boiling flax, and I think this is the natural waxes in the flax — that give it its sheen — separating out from the leaf surface. So perhaps the loss of sheen may be to do with the length of time the flax is in the boiling pot and also the variety of flax, as some flax varieties are much waxier than others. How long are you boiling the flax for? Perhaps sheen is also affected by wiping each flax strip straight after taking it out of the dye pot, which may redistribute the loosened wax across the leaf surface, if it hasn’t already become fully disconnected from the leaf surface.
I stopped using mordant some time ago, because the dye brands listed on my Dyeing page — Teri, Dylon or Rit — seem to take well to the flaxes I’ve used without a mordant. However, it may be a different matter with the particular variety of flax you’re using. At a guess, using a mordant may reduce the loss of sheen by reducing the time needed for boiling, so I may experiment with mordant again. Nonetheless, I think it would be worthwhile for you to try using Rit dye without a mordant. Let me know how you get on.
I have used a spray-on polyurethane for flax jewellery, which gives it a sheen, so you may like to try this too.
Your question is very topical, because I’m currently in the planning stage of checking out a number of dyeing materials and techniques to try to retain the sheen, or to restore it after dyeing — for the sake of a booklet on flax flowers that I’m finishing off at the moment. Unfortunately I’m also in the process of moving house — which I just interrupted to tutor a flax weaving workshop at Mt Somers! — so I haven’t been able to give this the time I’d like, nor to respond to your query as quickly as I would have liked. In short, I’m not in a position to give you any really useful tips on this right now, but as soon as I get some results, I’ll put up a blog post on the topic.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Tena Koe Ali mo your prompt response and sharing of your knowledge.
I will try the Rit without the cup full of salt and anticipate the sheen.
I have even tried i cup of vinegar and 1 tbsp salt which resulted in the slightest of sheen.
.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Tena koe
I have read a couple of your articles and found them very informative.As a new weaver I soak up anything and everything I find about weaving harakeke.I would like to experiment with natural resources for dying and wonder what sort of salt one would use and the quantities needed to set the dye? Is there another mordant apart from the natural ones that I cannot access?
Kiaora
Huria
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Kia ora Huria
I haven’t done much dyeing with natural products but it’s on the long list of things to do in the future! However I do have some suggestions for you.
Plain salt is best. Additives, such as iodine, may affect the colour. I suggest you try using half to one cup of salt to about 4-5 litres of water. If this doesn’t work, then use more salt.
There is a lot of information on the web about different sorts of mordants. The most common mordants that are used in dyeing are mineral salt mordants, such as alum or tin or iron, which are not readily available and you need to be careful when you use them. You could try using alternative mordants such as iron nails or an aluminium pot or even stale urine instead of these.
I suggest you experiment with your dyeing and keep notes of what you do so that you learn how you can get different colours and can change quantities if you need to. Let me know how you get on.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Kia Ora Ali
You said that you were in the process of finishing a booklet on Flax Flowers, i would be very interested in purchasing it, if it is complete.
August 16th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Kia ora Rangiwaiti
The booklet isn’t complete just yet and I’m hesitant to predict a date for the completion because I’ve been wrong in my predictions before. However, I am on the endy bits and have started working on the cover photo today so hopefully it’s not too far away. I’ll add your name to my database and let you know when it’s available.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Kia ora Ali,
I’m quite a novice weaver, but love it and would like to explore with colour a bit. I haven’t dyed flax before. I love the look of dyed flax but would like to work with natural dyes. I’ve heard that boiling onion skins can produce a nice deep brown on natural fibres, but is there anything that you know of or have experimented with that can produce other colours?
Thanks, Izzie
September 21st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hi Izzie
I haven’t experimented with any of the natural dyes but some of the books listed on my Reviews page do have information about the traditional dyes and I think Maori Weaving by Erenora Puketapu-Hetet is one of them although I’m not completely sure now.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hi, Im keen to purchase your book when completed about flax flowers. I’m in Palmerston North and our roopu would love to learn how to make some really nice putiputi which hopefully are a little different from our normal lillies and rosebuds.
Lee
November 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Kia ora Lee
I’ve added your name to the database for the Book and will let you know when it’s ready.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Can you add me to your database for your book aswel
Thanx
December 7th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Teenaa koe Ali, thank you for your website, well layed out, easy to follow, and so much information. Arohanui, brenda
December 14th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Hi Moe
I’ve added your name to the book database.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:50 am
awhitu wearable arts.co.nz isn’t quite up and running yet. What I’m looking for is a supply of flax fabric which could be made into tote bags. I guess the difference would be the tighter weave and finer finish than traditional kete. I want to screen print the fabric after the bags are made.
Does any commercially woven flax fibre exist?
Thanks for your help.
February 17th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hi Geraldine
There have been some people experimenting with making fabric from flax fibre but I’m not sure how advanced the experiments are. I suggest you see if you can contact Rangi Te Kanawa.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hello everybody,
I am looking for a flax fibre that can be woven into a korowai cloak. Does anyone know of any soft, warm, luxurious flax fibres out there?
December 28th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Hi I have no experience in dyeing. If the fresh flax is dark green how does it dye to the great colours shown in your book? Is there something you do to it before dyeing?
January 10th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Hi Lorraine
Although flax is green, it does dye well for most colours, from the raw green state, if you use chemical dyes. The colour can look quite dark immediately after dyeing and it does take a few days for the flax to dry completely for the true colour to show. I’ve found that the lighter colours, yellow for example, work better if you boil and dry the flax a little before dyeing. Check out the full instructions on my Dyeing flax page for more information on dyeing.
May 9th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
hi are you able to e-mail me a color chart thanks this would be great
May 14th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Kia Ora Ali.
I have just stumbled across your site and I also am a lover of harakeke putiputi, I would be very interested in purchasing your book on how to create different, types of putiputi.. I live in Australia and have access to our Nz flax. could you please let me know what I need to do. thanx Waharoa
May 16th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Kia ora Waharoa
Thanks for your interest in my book. I am able to accept payment using currency other than New Zealand dollars through PayPal and so I’ve just sent you a PayPal invoice.