Wonky Weaver® Night Flowering Jasmine Dye powder is derived from the flowers of the botanical Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L.. Arbor-tristis means “sad tree” because their flowers lose their brightness during the daytime, but at night they exude a lovely golden yellow brightness and sweet smell. In many religions, the night flowering jasmine is seen as "God's flower" or "God's ornament". In Bengal, the flower is often added to food and curry dishes, and the belief is that they offer prevention against cold's and flu. In Odisha, the flower is known as Gangaseuli or Jharaasephali and in Tripara, the flower is associated with the cycle of human life, signifying life and birth, and used in garlands for the dead.
However as a dye the corolla tubes of the flower contains a yellow colouring compound called Nyctanthin which is similar to the colouring ingredient crocetin found in saffron. Buddhist monks in the Himalayas collect and use the flowers to colour their cotton and silk roves. They also prepare their breakfast soup with parijat flowers for their immunostimulant properties.
The dye powder itself yields a lovely golden yellow colour.
When using natural plant dyes, it is always recommended to first wash the fabric prior to dyeing, and when using cotton, a pre-mordant tannin step with a high tannin like gallant, followed by mordanting with Aluminium acetate mordant generally results in better dyeing effectiveness. It should be used at a range of between 10-20% weight of fibre (WOF) depending on intensity of the desired colour. For wool, and silk, ALUM can be used as a mordant at a concentration of around 15% WOF.
Wonky Weaver® Natural Plant Dyes and Extracts are derived from botanical sources, and are both sustainable and ethically produced. We carefully source our dyes from suppliers we trust to uphold the highest of standards in quality.
Using plant dyes is very enjoyable and satisfying but does require some degree of experimentation to get the desired coloration of your fibres, yarns and fabrics. Results also depend on the type, weight and make-up of the fibre, and water quality, temperature and length of time in the dye bath amongst many other factors. The type of mordants, dye assists and modifiers will also affect the resultant colour of your dyed materials.
This dye powder is supplied in 50g resealable pouches.
