The answer is: saffron red or yellow. (Also known as: saffron, or the dye of the east)
You’ll need:
3 small saffron flowers
A dye-stuffing material that comes in yellow, brown and red. I use dish soap for this
A dye-maker using a dye-stove
An oven containing saffron flowers
A spray bottle which contains 3 parts water, 1 part acid, and 1 part sugar.
I’d suggest using dish soap for this, as the color is best when the sugar is dissolved in the acid. In the recipe, I’ve added a little water to help the dye dissolve in the water.
Ingredients for the dye:
3 small saffron flowers
A color additive which is the equivalent of 3 parts water for the red and brown, and 1 part sugar for the yellow. I use 1 part acid and 0.4 parts sugar. For the red side, the color added is 1 part sugar for the yellow, and 0.5 part water.
The recipe:
3 small saffron flowers
3/4 cup water
1 part sugar
0.5 part acid
(1/2 the recipe)
(1/2 water)
Combine all the ingredients together and mix to make the dye. I like a very light brown with a red undertone.
As well as the colour, the saffron helps the dye set up better. You can use dish soap, but it’s also a soap, so you’re bound to get clumps of color after a while. This is best done on a baking sheet when you’ve got the right temperature to keep the color at a specific temperature, like about 75C. Do let me know how yours looks after you’ve done this.
Add the ingredients to the dye-maker and make sure it’s heated on low heat. I’ve used acid at 175C.
The finished color:
Now, I’d really love to see how you do this recipe as I’m keen to find out exactly how it turned out.
I’ve done the recipe to work from my home office, so please excuse the mess of ingredients!
So… what can you make from this?
This can be made any way you like it from a white dish towel for the red side of the color to a bright red
buy saffron crocus bulbs, where does saffron grow best, fedco saffron, how to grow saffron for profit, how long to grow ginger root