Walnut
Walnut – (Eastern Black Walnut) Juglans nigra. This dyestuff is obtained from the bark of the tree and also from the green husks of the fruit. Domonique Cardon has called walnuts “great living laboratories of dye production.” Walnut is a substantive dye and can be used without a mordant. It can be used alone to produce warm deep taupes or to give extra depth in combination with other dyes. Historically it has been used with madder (both rubia cordifolia and rubia tinctoria) to produce mahogonies. Walnut responds well to overdyeing with iron producing rich grey/browns. Ground walnut is used at 75-100% WOF.
For in-depth information on natural dyes see our Guide to Natural Dyes available on naturaldyes.ca. Also available as a Printable PDF.
Currently the three largest sizes of natural dyes are priced at wholesale rates. Our rates reflect a growing discount as the size increases.