A Tutorial for Dyeing with Black Walnuts

the following simple step by step instructions will guide you in preparing a dye bath with black walnut hulls.

The husks from from the Eastern American Black Walnut Tree, Juglans nigra, have been used for centuries for dyeing as well as for ink, medicinal tinctures and the homemade Italian liquor, Nocino. Dyed color can vary from pale ochre to a deep, chocolately brown. With modifiers the color will shift from greyed to almost blackish-browns. the meaty part between the outer husk and the nut shell contains the colorant known as Juglone and is a direct dye meaning that a mordant is not necessary when dyeing protein fibers (silk and wool).

the green husks collected and dried in the fall contain more colorant than those foraged in the winter months. however, depending on how many husks are are collected in the winter that are already brown and dried, a fairly deep dye bath can be achieved if quite a few are used. The dye bath pictured in this tutorial is from the hulls collected in February and at this stage the hulls were brown and dried out. when collecting the green husks for drying, Many natural dyers will immediately break them open and separate the outer layer (which contains the dye stuff) from the nut. I do not do this step but rather dry them thoroughly before storing or just submerge the found dried hulls in water, simmer for a few hours and break apart the hull from the nut during heating. The discarded nut is edible and if you decide not to eat them, squirrels appreciate them!

*Botanical Colors sells black walnut extract if you can’t find a Black walnut tree near you.

A note before starting, Take precautions and protect areas you are working in since Black walnuts are notorious for staining anything and everything that they come in contact with-hands included!

use only dedicated non-reactive metal pots and utensils for all dye work. While all ingredients are natural, in large amounts, potentially unhealthy. A kitchen scale is also a helpful tool for weighing fibers and dyestuff but not necessary for this dyeing dye lesson, the results will be dependent on how much dyestuff you have gathered.

Black Walnuts-the more that are collected for the bath, the deeper the color
protective drop cloth to avoid staining
thick latex gloves used for dishwashing
Non reactive pots or one pot and a metal bowl for straining dye bath
food tongs for grabbing and removing fabric from dye bath
mesh strainer
mild soap for scouring cloth
if dyeing Cotton items, pre-mordanted using aluminum acetate (see Botanical colors tuturial here: https://botanicalcolors.com/how-to-mordant/
if dying silk or wool items, no mordant needed

First, start with clean, scoured (washed) fabric for best results. scouring Directions can Use either the stove top method or a washing machine. Use a 1/4 teaspoon of neutral soap such as Woolite or mild dish detergent such as Dawn (soap must be free of any additives). I use Synthrapol. For washing machine, Set on the hottest water temp for the item and let it run through a normal cycle. If using the stove method, heat up a stainless steel pot of water with the soap, stirring to dilute and add the dye item. gently move it around to cleanse for about 20 minutes. remove from heat and Once cool, rinse and set the fiber aside, keeping it damp. If using cotton, follow the mordanting steps from Botanical colors for best results.

I usually prepare the black walnut bath outside since the fumes from the dye bath can be strong. Use a portable burner or the side burner of a propane grill. Since extracting the dye from the walnut husks is a little more time consuming, I opt to create the dye bath first allowing it to steep overnight. This also gives time for the husk to soften so that you can start to separate it from the shell while still in the pot using a potato masher, tongs or strong, thick latex gloves. Gather your dyestuff and place in a stainless steel pot that is large enough to hold both the plant material when covered with water for extracting dye and later for dyeing. Cover the husks with water, place on medium heat and simmer at least two hours to extract the dye. Never boil as this can alter the color, creating a very dull one. don’t forget that The more dyestuff used the deeper, darker the results. Using less may result in only a hint of color but this is where you can experiment too: how long an item spends in the dye bath, ratio of dyestuff to extract in a dye bath, etc.

After the dye has been extracted and cooled, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the dye bath, removing the hull and nuts and return the strained liquid to the pot. Return pot to the burner. If you do not strain the dye bath, you will may get uneven, blotchy results and in some places where the dye materiak rests on the fabric, an imprint. For some, this is the desired result. I encourage you to experiment.

Now we are ready to dye. Add the damp scoured fabric/item to the dye bath, adding more water if necessary to cover the fabric. Note that the amount of water in the pot does not influence dye results. The dye bath is already pre-determined in the extraction. How much pigment your item takes up in the bath is determined by the fiber itself and time spent in the bath. Raise the heat to just below simmering and stir the fabric gently over the course of the next hour or two. Prevent the dye bath from boiling and note the magical uptake of dye by the fabric. Allowing the fabric to sit overnight in the dye pot after simmering can result in deeper shades. If you want a light shade, keep checking the item and remove it from the dye bath when it is a shade darker than you want. Wet items dry lighter. There is no wrong or right.

Once the liquid has cooled, remove the dyed item and rinse in cool water until clear then wash by machine or hand with cold water and a drop of of neutral detergent, dry and enjoy.