Local Yellows

Autumn color in Oklahoma, 2009

peach leaf dyed wool yarns, 2009

Natural yellow dyes most often utilize local plant sources because they are abundant and accessible. Although yellow dyes are the most light fugitive of natural dyes, there are a handful of light fast botanical yellows that are beautiful to be used as pure color or as a base color for greens and oranges. Yellow variations ranging from clear yellows to golds can be found in flowers such as marigolds, coreopsis and goldenrod; in whole plant tops such as weld; in leaves from peach and pear trees; barks such as Osage orange and fustic and also the inner bark of black oak. Onion skins are perhaps the most commonly known yellow dye because they are used to color eggs for Spring celebrations. Many values and intensities of yellow can be achieved using only alum and cream of tartar for the mordant and considering the strength of the dye bath.