Turmeric & Cabbage

The first natural dyes we decided to try were turmeric and cabbage.

Even though I offered the kids leftover pizza for snack, one preferred to swipe bits of dye and pop them into his mouth. As a mother it felt wrong to say, "Stop eating the cabbage!" but I did so for the sake of our quilt.

And into the pot the dyes went:

The turmeric and cabbage simmered in water for one hour before the alum mordant was added. On the left is the cabbage dye without the mordant. On the right is the cabbage dye with the mordant:

Finally, our little alchemists added the fabric, allowed it simmer for one hour before turning off the heat and placed the lids on the dye pots to sit overnight. 

And the end result is... (drumroll)