The Urban Dyer's Almanac 

is a student research project that documents the natural dye explorations that are underway in the Community Supported Textiles course in Parsons School of Design / School of Design Strategies.

The almanac is a database for the vegetable and plant dyes from producers who sell at the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC. The almanac also includes a list of the natural fibers from NYS wool and alpaca farms.  

Functioning as a both a calendar, and recipe book, the almanac allows for an enhanced understanding of the origin, regional ecology, and growing season of the plants and vegetables that are being used as natural dyes. Through the framework of local food and fiber farming.

The Urban Dyers Almanac draws a link between the city and the larger State of NY, and highlights the vital role that greenmarkets have in building and sustaining local economies. The almanac also celebrates the local marketplace as a common space for sharing resources and ideas; an inherent characteristic of community based systems of production and commerce.

What is Natural Dyeing?

Natural dyes are colors that are extracted from plants (and insects). They are fixed through the use of mordants. Mordants are metal salts and tannins. Some metal salts are; alum (aluminum sulfate), iron (iron sulfate). Tannic acid and myrobalan are tannins that are used to fix dyes to cellulose (plant) fibers. Natural dyes have been used for thousands of years to produce color, and it is only in the past 100 years that synthetic dyes were invented. Natural dyes are a safer and less costly alternative, and once the fiber is prepared to accept the dye, there are many colors that can be achieved.

How is the dye made?

Common vegetables, plants, barks, berries, insects, and lichens can be used as natural dye sources. The main source for our dyestuff is the GrowNYC greenmarket where we find plants and vegetables that are in season and are of local origin. The dyestuffs or plant matter is boiled in water to extract the dye. The material to be dyed is first “mordanted” with the chosen metal salt or tannin by heating it in water with the mordant.

to learn more about pre-dye fiber treatment click below