posted 3 years ago
First attempt. I collected about 1/4 pound of berries and smashed them to get the juice. It was of a beautiful deep magenta color. I tried dying two pieces of silk fabrics: silk noil and matelasse weighing 25 g total, with vinegar and aluminum as mordant. I let the mixture simmer a bit then left overnight at room temperature. The fabrics were dyed into a salmon color, but after washing, it faded to beige. I heard silk doesn't dye as well as wool with pokeberry but I don't have any white wool yarn for control. I will try later after I have more berries.
Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil