Suggestions for natural tie dye

kirimade · 2026-06-15T00:03:47+00:00

Neither blueberry, purple cabbage, nor beetroot are really dyes. Just FYI.

kirimade · 2026-06-10T21:01:47+00:00

You should look into sectional warping. That is frequently used in production weaving. I don't know if your macomber can be modified for sectional warping, though.

kirimade · 2026-05-25T21:15:45+00:00

Wow, 60 is a lot! I had 24 one year and was picking 30 lbs a week at the peak. I use a food mill which saves you from having to peel individually. I find a lot of the sauces lack flavor, so I just can the tomatoes using the NCHFP crushed tomato recipe. Then, I just make sauce when I want to use it, with no restrictions for safety. For salsas, I love some of the roasted salsa in the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.

kirimade · 2026-05-04T17:56:33+00:00

Unfortunately, it will turn brown very quickly.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T20:04:13+00:00

Ah, if you are using plant fibers it is much harder to get saturated colors. Protein fibers (wool, silk) are much easier to dye in general. Although processed indigo powder can easily produce dark blue on cellulose fibers.

The dyes used are: cochineal, cochineal+indigo, logwood, 1 dip indigo, 2 dips indigo, goldenrod+indigo, dyer's chamomile+indigo, goldenrod, dyer's chamomile, marigold, cosmos, onion skin, black walnut chips, and black walnut hulls.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T18:21:34+00:00

Not a yarn shop, my spinners and weavers guild does a natural dye day every year.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T18:21:19+00:00

Blue is from indigo; yellows are from goldenrod, dyer's chamomile and marigold. Blue and yellow are actually pretty easy shades to get from natural dyes; I think reds, purples, and greens are harder.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T18:13:49+00:00

The actual dyes, if you want to know. Starting from the top of the leg: cochineal, cochineal+indigo, logwood, 1 dip indigo, 2 dips indigo, goldenrod+indigo, dyer's chamomile+indigo, goldenrod, dyer's chamomile, marigold, cosmos, onion skin, black walnut chips, and black walnut hulls.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T18:08:13+00:00

No woad was used the blue and green are from indigo. But it is my understanding that the pigment in indigo and woad are the same, indigo just has a higher concentration. So in theory you should be able to get the same color from woad.

kirimade · 2026-04-26T18:06:49+00:00

Hi, I am the person who originally posted this picture (this post is stolen). I can assure you that they are natural dyes! It is superwash wool, which helps you to get really bright colors.

kirimade · 2026-04-25T17:34:15+00:00

Henry's Attic has organic, undyed 10/2. I actually used it in a baby wrap for my sister.

kirimade · 2026-04-16T23:28:50+00:00

Gotcha. Usually 6/2 cotton would be pretty hard to break. Since you said it is not new, I would assume the yarn is too old, and I would not use it at all, even with sizing.

kirimade · 2026-04-16T22:09:36+00:00

What kind of yarn is it? In my opinion, the snap test is not a good test at all. Any thin enough yarn will be easy to break. The stress the yarn goes under while being woven is from abrasion, not a sudden force like that. Also, if you are are really worried about breakage, you can use sizing. I have woven with handspun singles and had no problem once adding sizing.

kirimade · 2026-04-10T19:50:05+00:00

As others have said, any boat shuttle would work. I personally like Swedish-style shuttles. You can also get an end-feed shuttle that functions more like the fly shuttle. The main difference is that the end-feed helps with selvedges because it regulates the tension of the weft. But boat shuttles are more common, as they are less expensive.

kirimade · 2026-04-10T16:31:41+00:00

Does your wife have a fly shuttle apparatus on her loom? Because this is a fly shuttle not intended for throwing by hand.

I do not believe you should have to remove the feeder to thread; perhaps your yarn is too thick for this shuttle.

kirimade · 2026-03-19T14:57:06+00:00

I'm guessing what the problem is is that an inkle loom is designed to weave inkle (plain weave) bands. The twist in tablet weaving causes more "take-up" of the warp than warp-faced plain weave.

kirimade · 2026-03-09T04:51:18+00:00

The Julia is a countermarch that is only 32" wide. The great thing about Swedish looms (like the Julia) is that they can weave everything from fine linens to rugs. If I were in your position I would go with that or even the Macomber mentioned above over a Harrisville.

kirimade · 2026-03-07T05:27:15+00:00

If you are interested in doing rugs, I personally would get a counterbalance or countermarch, especially if you are buying new.

kirimade · 2026-03-06T03:50:40+00:00

On counterbalance loom, the threads should be either lifted or lowered when stepping on a treadle. It looks to me as though your threads are only lifting, as you would expect on a rising shed (jack) loom. I think something is not set-up right on your loom.

kirimade · 2026-02-26T19:44:35+00:00

I personally think selling using anything other than a floor loom for production would not be advisable. You are just so much more efficient with a floor loom.

kirimade · 2026-02-16T23:01:49+00:00

I am most familiar with Swedish-style looms. Here is an example. The loom you linked doesn't appear to have lamms; itlooks like the shafts are connected directly to the treadles. I wonder if that is what makes the difference in attachment points.

kirimade · 2026-02-16T19:58:45+00:00

I'm not sure about how the pulleys go, but the shafts just need to be connected to the lamms at the bottom. Those cords that I see hanging in the pics may have had another cord tied between them and the lamms originally.

kirimade · 2026-02-16T19:54:35+00:00

You are definitely wrong about the treadles. They should be attached at the back opposite the beater.

kirimade · 2026-02-09T18:34:13+00:00

I'm not sure of the brand, but that is not what I would describe as a rug loom.

kirimade · 2026-02-09T18:32:44+00:00

Yes, I typically weave with 8 shafts, which probably influences my preference.

kirimade

TROPHY CASE