Dyeing to Prune

I'm sure pruning trees is the last thing you you feel like doing in the middle of winter. Here in the Cascades it's cold, it's gray, and it's probably raining. A winter nap sounds like more fun than pruning, but that is exactly why your fruit trees need it now. Pruning during winter dormancy (that is, while they are “napping”) invigorates them for spring growth by removing dead or damaged material, and anything totally misshapen. But this isn't a guide for pruning, its inspiration for those prunings.

You don't have to work with cotton for very long before you start hearing “tannin this” and “tannin that” if you want success in the dye house. Tannin-rich bark is often used like a mordant prior to dyeing in the dyestuff you really want to use, but plenty of barks yield their own pleasing colors. Our apple and pear trees provide very reliable peach tones. Wild and domestic plum give uplifting pinks and purples. The wild cherry, which grows like a weed in our timberlands, offers pink and purple-grays.

Wild Cherry Tree

But you don't have to stay in the orchard to discover tannin-rich dyes. Bark from Red Alder, Western Red Cedar, and Pacific Willow are all valuable in the dye house. And speaking of Red Alder, check out my next blog post where I make the case for this underestimated and underappreciated specimen.

Wild Plum Dye Bath with fabric folded for modified “window” pattern

So get out there and prune. At least the bugs are down and I bet you need the vitamin D. If you find yourself with a pile of cuttings you're dying to dye with, check out our Classic White Supima Cotton Interlock. It’s ready for your project.