What are Fugitive Dyes?

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Here are some questions that I get A LOT! Is my natural dye colorfast? Will it wash out or fade? Can I wash my fabric?

As with anything to do with natural dyes, there are a lot of different factors that go into whether or not a color will wash out, fade or change over time.

And unfortunately, there are many materials that are super bright and colorful, which won’t adhere to either fabric or yarn no matter what you do to them. Beets and blueberries fall into that category.

curly dock or yellow dock plant used for making fabric dyes

Fugitive dyes are a type of dye that is not permanent or colorfast. These dyes are more like a stain and will lose their color quickly when exposed to light, air and/or water.

In some cases, the color disappears completely and in other cases, it changes. For instance, some lichens can be used to create a purple dye but the color will quickly change to gray.

Which dyes are colorfast or wash fast?

Some materials are not permanent no matter what you do. Most dyes made from food, for instance, are unfortunately fugitive.
This includes:

Red cabbage
Blueberries
Spinach
Beets
Carrots
Turmeric

You can, however, use these dyes to color paper which is fairly fast as long as they are not overly exposed to sunlight.

These papers are fun to use for all kinds of crafts such as greeting cards, journals, notebooks or bookmarks.

Other materials are not permanent on their own but you can make them so by using the correct dyeing process and proper mordanting. Some of these are:

Osage Orange
Goldenrod
Tansy

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And then there are a few natural dye materials that are colorfast without mordanting. These plants are perfect for you to try if you are a beginning dyer.

They include:

Black Walnuts
Indigo
Pomegranate
Sumac
Cutch

Dyeing Yarn Naturally with Black Walnuts, FiberArtsy.com

What other factors affect color fastness?

Besides the materials themselves, there are a few additional factors that can influence the final color and fastness of your dye, including but not limited to one or more of the following:

Stage of life of the plant
Time of year
Preceding weather conditions
pH of the water (test your water)
Mordant used, if any
Modifiers used, if any
Material of the dyepot
Process used

As you can see, there is a lot for you to consider when you are dyeing with natural materials.

Natural dyeing can be quite an involved process from start to finish: choosing your dyepots, preparing the dye material itself, pre-washing and mordanting your fabric, soaking or heating the dye, etc. etc. It can be quite overwhelming!

But, please don’t let that discourage you. It is possible, even for a complete beginner to achieve a beautiful, natural dye that colorfast and not fugitive.

My recommendation is to start with a simple dye such as Black Walnuts or Acorns. You can also buy a complete Indigo Dye Kit which contains everything you need including step by step instructions.

Also, keeping a detailed journal of your experiments is super helpful. Above all, enjoy the process!

This comprehensive book has been a complete game changer for me! It walks you through all of the different aspects of natural dyeing and contains detailed information about a number of popular dye plants.

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Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes

Dean, Jenny (Author)
English (Publication Language)
144 Pages – 11/16/2010 (Publication Date) – Potter Craft (Publisher)

Iron Inspired: Printing & Dyeing with Rust

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What are Fugitive Dyes?