Greys + Browns (Tannins, Sumac & More)

Tannins make an excellent base for mordanting on cellulose, or for creating ranges of buff, tan, khaki, brown, smokey tones, and even close to black! They can also be used on protein fibers, and do not require excessive heat. Current offerings:

LOCAL SUMAC: Hand-harvested using sustainable practice, our sumac tannins make a stunning purple-grey to black on fabrics. Use at 10-20% WOF, with or without a mordant, then dip in iron for the darkest colors. Extract leaves by soaking in recently boiled water for about an hour, then strain off leaves and use liquid. Sumac is considered one of the more 'clear' tannins, and leaves less residual color than pomegranate, myrobalan, walnut, or others. Makes a 'cool' grey black as opposed to warmer colors from myrobalan or pomegranate. Excellent for high contrast ecoprints. Also used as a traditional hide tanning agent.

MYROBALAN / HARDA: This tannin rich powder is grown in India and creates a yellow-tan on a range of fabrics. We purchase directly from the dye studio we work with to support their revitalization efforts. Great as a base for blacks when mixed with iron. We recommend 20% to weight of fiber. Dissolve tap warm water and soak fabrics for an hour. Myrobalan is considered a 'warm' tannin and produces warmer blacks compared to the sumac. This is the black you see in traditional Indian block printed fabrics.

POMEGRANATE EXTRACT: Concentrated from pomegranate peels, this easily dissolving tannin produces a warm bronzey yellow when used on its own, or makes an excellent range of warm blacks with iron. We recommend using at 3-10% WOF depending on the color range. Dissolve in hot water and soak fabric, on heat, for an hour.

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