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

They had recycling down to an art.

I remember Mama using old quilts as 'batting' for newer ones. And I loved a skirt I had in kindergarten made with flour sacks. My parents still have only one credit card that they use as a an i.d. If they don't have the cash they don't buy the stuff. You're right, we can learn so much from the older generations.

When I was in my "pioneer phase" as a child, my mom and I cut up and old white sheet and dyed it with natural dies. Poke berries, walnut hulls, blueberries, etc. We then used the fabric to make Barbie clothes. I thought I was so cool!

I love stories like this. I have some quilts that I rescued from an old closet at my grandparents house. I discovered that some of them had another quilt top underneath. I have no idea who made any of them. Now it makes me wonder just how old they are.

I would love to make a quilt using only natural dyes. I wonder if using a good quality white muslin would work. I think it is something to put on my "Someday I will make this" list.

Blueberries for blue
Yellow onion skins for yellow
Red onion skins for red........

I did that once with my kids when they were small...we used wild grapes. It made the most beautiful pink, (not the purple, that I thought)! Also onion skins for a light yellowish color. Was fun, but MESSY, MESSY,MESSY!

I did that once with my kids when they were small...we used wild grapes. It made the most beautiful pink, (not the purple, that I thought)! Also onion skins for a light yellowish color. Was fun, but MESSY, MESSY,MESSY!

muslin will work but i have found that cotten takes these dyies a little better and dose not shrink as bad as some of the other materials.
consider back when all fabric was cotten they did not have all the blends like the muslin fabrick or nylon rayon.
another tidbit since bathing was not done regulary and warshing machines were not found wemon had a small round metal box they carries with them in the box was a cotten swab soacked with vinigar which they would dab themselves with to take care of body oder that was the first deoderant latter it was mixed with backing soada it was a great oder absorbant

This is a little off topic, but my previous next door neighbor, now in assisted living, was like that. Both her and her husband who's gone now, used to recycle everything.

We kind of thought it was funny when we put something in the garbage then saw them using it. We put out an old metal trash can because it split, and the next day they had a bird bath. Even down to doing dishes. She would use a dishpan then throw the dirty water on her plants as the detergent would keep the pests away.

Too bad we didn't pay attention more! :) :) :)

When she went into the assisted care, her daughter gave me silver butter dishes, platters, etc. They were still in the original package with the cards from their wedding over 50 years prior. They kept the good stuff for later.