Oogst – Birch Leaf

Description

Silver birch (Betula pendula) Silver birch (E)

Family: Betulaceae
Paint: Yellow-Green-Brown

This sturdy and elegant tree with the striking white silver bark can grow up to 30 meters and grows almost everywhere in Europe.
It has been supplying raw materials for various applications for centuries. The bark was used in the past to make shoes and clothing, paper, roofing, baskets and as kindling wood.
The sap of the tree is tapped for a medicinal drink and hair conditioner. Fresh, young leaves are edible and can be used to make tea.
We use birch leaves to dye wool and other fibers yellow to light green.

Facts
The rough birch…
… is also called silver birch.
… you will find on Texel on the edge of the forest and the dunes. They protect the trees in the forest from the sea breeze.
… produces nectar that the silver whistle (a solitary bee) feeds on. As a thank you, this bee ensures the pollination of the tree.
… doesn't get that old, about 80-100 years.
… you can recognize in the spring by the hanging male catkins and upright female catkins.

This is one of the natural dye products described in the book Eco-dye by Anja Schrik.

Recipe

Necessities:

– 100 grams of birch leaf
– 15 grams of alum
– 2 grams of tartaric acid
– electric stove or stove
– 2 old (cast iron) pans
– apron, gloves
– laundry bag or cheesecloth
– (glass) jars, buckets or trays
– 1 cup vinegar
– 2 cups of household soda (if you are going to dye cotton)

Basic recipe for 100 grams of wool, silk or cotton to dye yellow

Step 1: Wash (only if you are going to dye cotton, skip step 1 if you are going to dye wool or silk)
Fill a bucket with plenty of water and 2 cups of household soda and leave your cotton in it for 24 hours. Rinse well the next day.

Step 2: pickling
Dissolve the alum and tartaric acid in a jar of hot water. Put 3-5 liters of water in the (pickling) pan and add the mixture of alum and tartaric acid. Soak the wool, silk or cotton in a bucket of water and add them to the pickling pan when they are completely soaked. Bring the temperature to 80 degrees (not warmer). Let it simmer for over an hour. Then let the fibers cool down slowly in the pickling bath. You can leave this overnight or get started right away.

Step 3: Dyeing
Place the birch leaf in a washing bag and place it in the paint pan with 3-5 liters of water.
Bring the dye bath to about 80 degrees and let it simmer for an hour.
Lower the temperature to 30 degrees (Tip to speed up this process: put your pan in the sink with cold water) and add the wool, silk or cotton.
You can leave the birch leaf in the laundry bag in the dye bath while dyeing. Make sure that the fibers can 'swim' well. Bring the temperature back to 80 degrees and let it simmer for an hour.
Let the fibers cool slowly in the dye bath.
MC Tips:
1) For a better result, you can soak the birch leaf in water for 24-48 hours before you start with step 3. Then pour the decoction through a laundry bag into the paint pan and top up with enough water.
2) For a deeper yellow color you can use 200 grams of birch leaf instead of 100 grams.
3) Leave the fibers in the dye bath for an additional night after they have cooled down.

Step 4: fixate:
Rinse the fibers and let it sit in a bucket of water with 1 cup of vinegar for an hour. Then rinse well and hang to dry.

Oogst natural dyeing philosophy

The speed at which we currently live, the monotony of our current society… Doesn't it sometimes tire you out? Do you long to create elegant and stylish products using natural materials?

Rather than fall prey to the quick-fix mentality, take a moment and create something relatively insignificant by today's standards. Find yourself back in nature with natural dyes.

The earth is our most important resource: it provides everything we need. The oxygen we breathe, the ground we walk on, the food we eat. It is our foundation and keeps us grounded by the rhythm of the seasons. Fast-paced modern life has made major changes to what we value. What we value, what we need and who we are is determined by a consumer society.

Let go of the impulse for easy thinking for a moment. Free yourself from the urge to simply consume. Make something new, something with your own two hands – with natural dyes – and reconnect with nature.

Discover the pleasure of Oogst natural dyes, back to basics with colors directly from nature.

There is much to be said about the process of creation. Not only is the end product important, the journey to get there is just as important! We want you to discover what it feels like to make something from scratch.

And why should it be complicated? Hundreds of years before synthetic dyes came on the market, people made their own dyes.

We bring back the forgotten art of Natural Painting. It's simple to just buy what you need in the shops just like everyone else, but if you paint your own projects you have something really unique.

Discover the possibilities at Oogst.

Sustainable packaging material

Our Oogst natural dyes are packaged in compostable bags made from agricultural waste.

They are DIN CERTO certified and comply with the EN13432 guideline for compostability.

The material is suitable for the food industry and contributes to preserving the colorants!