i asked my aunt about natural dyes and what my great grant maothers and my grandmothers did for dyes for fabric .
greatgrand ma used flour sacks to make quilts and clothing.since that was still the time of priaer life stores were far away and they only went about ever 6 months. they used berries, leaves,coffee grounds and tea leaves to make there dyies.
to make a natural blue dye crush blue berries and boil in water till the color of the water changes.strain the water than add your cloth this is all done over a pot of boiling water. when you get the color you want rinse the cloth than put in the pot and boil in vinigar water tio set the dye the original water and crushed berries were put in the garden to fertilize it or made into jams and jellies for the winter.
most everthing was used at least twice. most flour saks were first made into clothing and then made into a quilt, some flour sacks were used to dry dishes and for bath towels.
when talking to the older people in the family i can see how wastfull of a society we have become.
in the 1800's nothing was wasted everthing was used untill i just could not be used any more. oh the old quilts were used as batting for the new quilts so the flour sack lived on and on