Thursday, July 23, 2020

Dyeing with rhubarb seeds Värjäys raparperinsiemenillä


Olen jostain aikanaan lukenut, että raparperin siemenissä on samoja väriaineita kuin raparperin juuressa, eli antrakinoneja kuten emodiinia, ja tanniineja. Raparperin lehdissä on taas flavonoideja ja oksaalihappoa, mitä ei ole juuressa eikä ehkä siemenissäkään. En nyt löydä mistään lähdettä, mistä olen tämän lukenut, ja kaikissa värjäyskirjoissani puhutaan vain raparperin juuresta ja hiukan lehdistä, muttei siemenistä. Värjätessä raparperin siemenet antavat kuitenkin samoja värejä kuin raparperin juurikin eli se vahvistaisi tätä tietoa.
Olen värjännyt raparperinsiemenillä kun ne ovat kypsyneet ruskeiksi. Ylläolevassa kuvassa siemenet eivät ole ihan vielä täysin kypsiä ja kuva onkin viikon takainen.
Alla kuvassa ovat eilen kerätyt siemenet.

IN ENGLISH
Many years ago I have read somewhere that rhubarb seeds contain the same dyes as rhubarb root, that is anthraquinones like emodin and also tannins. Rhubarb leaves contain different dyes, mostly flavonoids and also oxalic acid which the root or seeds doesn't contain. I can't find now the source of this information, all my dye books talk only about rhubarb roots and a little about leaves, but not about seeds. However, when I dye with rhubarb seeds, I get the same colours as from roots and that confirms my belief.
I have dyed with rhubarb seeds when they are mature and brown. In the picture above, taken a week ago, the seeds are not quite ready. Yesterday they were more ripe and I collected them for dyeing, the picture below.


Siemeniä oli 600g. Keitin niitä ensin hiljaisella tulella pari tuntia ja annoin liemen sitten jäähtyä siemenineen yön yli. Keiton alussa liemi on aika hailukkaa ja vahvistuu vasta ajan kanssa, ja minusta lientä kannattaakin haudutella aika pitkään. Kannatta tarkkailla väriä, ja lopettaa vasta kun liemen väri on tumma. Aamulla liemi olikin jo hyvin tumman ruskeaa, jopa hieman punertavaa. Siivilöin liemen ja värjäsin sillä 200g aluna-viinikivi-puretettua lankaa ja lisäksi liemessä oli mallipätkä purettamatonta lankaa. Langat alkoivat heti ottaa hyvin väriä ja värjäsin tunnin n 70 asteessa. Lopputulos on pesun jälkeen nyt kuivumassa narulla, kuva alla. Kuvan oikeassa reunassa on pienempi langanpätkä, ja se oli purettamaton lanka, joka värjääntyi myös melko voimakkaan vaikkakin  hiukan eri sävyiseksi keltaiseksi. Samoin kuin raparperin juurella värjätessä, myöskään siemenillä ei ole välttämätöntä purettaa lankoja alunalla, vaan väri tarttuu myös ilman muuta puretusta. Jälkipuretus raudalla muuttaa langan vihreäksi, ja siemenillä voi myös kokeilla emäksessä liotusta ennen värjäystä, jolloin voi saada punertavia sävyjä kuten raparperin juurellakin.

IN ENGLISH
I had 600g of seeds. I simmered them for two hours and let the bath cool down with seeds in it until this morning. In the beginning the bath doesn't look very strong, but during simmering it gets darker, and I think it is best to simmer them until the colour is strong enough. This morning the bath was very dark reddish brown. I strained the bath and dyed 200g of yarn mordanted with alum and cream of tartar, and also a piece of yarn with no mordant, to compare. Yarns took the colour almost immediately and I dyed them in 70°C for one hour. You can see the result in the picture below where it is drying after washing. In the right side there is a small piece with no mordant, and it also took colour quite well, just a little different shade of yellow than alum mordanted yarns. As it is with rhubarb roots, it is not necessary to use alum mordant when dyeing with rhubarb seeds.
Modifying with iron after dyeing changes the colour to greenish, and soaking/fermenting the seeds in alkaline bath before dyeing can give reddish shades like rhubarb root does.


10 comments:

  1. Gosh, that’s a beautiful color. (My rhubarb has never flowered, so I’ve never seen seeds.)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you:) Maybe it is a matter of climate or something like that? Or a matter of cultivar? Here rhubarb makes flowers every year, and when it does, it stops growing leaves, and that is why most people don't let it flower. I make rhubarb pie only in the beginning of summer when there is nothing else yet, so I don't mind that I don't get it later in the summer. And seeds are better to dye with than leaves:).

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  2. When our rhubarb flowered birds ate all the seeds before they were ripe - so no dyeing :( Now the garden and mom's house have been sold and I have no rhubasrb.
    But I was wondering about dyeing with woad seeds and eved did it but have not tested for colour-fastness.

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    1. Hi Ladka, I haven't noticed birds eating rhubarb seeds here, but it is possible. They are so plump seeds so I can imagine they are good food for birds:).

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  3. Oh, when I saw dyeing with rhubarb seeds I expected a pinkish or orangeish hue, That is what I have got from rhubarb seeds on alum mordanted wool.

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    1. Your water must be neutral or slightly alkaline:) Ours is acidic and I think that is why the colour is more yellow.

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    2. I never tested the acidity of our water It's very hard - doest that fit with being alcaline?

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    3. If your water is hard, then there is calcium in it and it is neutral or more alkaline than acid. Many times that kind of water gives even better results in dyeing, or at least different colours than acid water. So many small things may affect the colour we get from plants:).

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  4. I had never thought of using the seeds. How fantastic

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