Oogst – Walnut husks

Description

Walnut husks (Juglans regia) Walnuthusks (E)
Family: Juglandaceae
Paint: Brown-beige
Instant dyeing dye (no pre-staining required)

The walnut originally comes from Southeast Europe and Asia and can be found everywhere nowadays. This tree bears fruits (walnuts) that are in a husk. In the fall, the husks split and fall to the ground. Now the walnuts can be harvested. And you can get started with the bolsters!

Facts
The walnut…

• … can grow up to 30 meters high.
• … bears fruits, walnuts. They are not only very tasty, but also very healthy.
• … keeps mosquitoes and flies away.
• … bears fruit only after many years, your patience is tested!

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

Recipe

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

Necessities:

- 50 grams of walnut husks
- an old (copper) pan
– electric stove or stove
– laundry bag or cheesecloth
– apron, gloves
– (glass) jars, buckets or trays
– 1 cup vinegar
– 2 cups of household soda (if you are going to dye cotton)

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:
Put the walnut husks in a jar with a litre of water. Let this soak for 1-2 days.

Step 3: Dyeing
Pour the extract through a wash bag into the paint pan and button the wash bag and top up the pan with water to 3-5 litres.
Bring the dye bath to boiling point and simmer for an hour.
Lower the temperature to 30 degrees and add the wool, silk or cotton.
You can leave the walnut bolsters in the wash bag in the dye bath during dyeing. Just make sure the fibres can 'swim' well. Bring the temperature back to boiling (for silk to about 80 degrees) and simmer for an hour.
Let the fibers cool slowly in the dye bath.
MC tip:
1) After cooling, leave the fibres in the dye bath for an extra night.
2) For a deep brown colour, use 100 grams of walnut husks.

Step 4: Fix
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.