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Dye Plants in Curious Spaces

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Spring Growth ID

Dried Yarrow from last year

Dried Yarrow from last year

New Yarrow leaves gently coming up

New Yarrow leaves gently coming up

Yarrow is a sweet and very strong plant that commonly grows in meadows and 'disturbed areas' and 'waste places'. This is of particular interest to me as I explore curious spaces in the city that have been disturbed through human intervention. Yarrow spreads through seeds and rhizomes, and is known to spread quickly in gardens. Happily, Yarrow shares gifts of medicine and dye with us.

Thanks to Zhyphs' insight on our plant walk, we learned that Yarrow has astringent qualities due to the tannin present in this plant. Tannin is a helpful element found in many plants that helps fix colour to textiles and can be used in combination with alum & soda ash to mordant cellulose fibers.  

Dye Results

Yarrow on cotton, linen, ramie/silk, wool, and silk fibers.

Yarrow on cotton, linen, ramie/silk, wool, and silk fibers.

Cellulose Fibers:

Yellow-green

Protein Fibers:

Yellow-green (brighter)

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