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Dye with Cochineal

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Wild Colours natural dyes > red dyes > cochineal > dye with cochineal

Dyeing with Cochineal

Preparation for Dyeing with Cochineal

Cochineal dyed silk and wool - natural dyesCochineal works best with silk or wool but cotton can also be used. 25 grams of cochineal will dye a pound (450 grams) of wool a good red, and another pound or two pink. When you take the first batch of fibre out of the dye bath, you can add more fibre for paler but still beautiful colours.

Make sure the fibre is well scoured and washed before dyeing. Soak the fibres in water overnight or for a couple of hours before dyeing. You need to mordant your fibre with alum (see Mordants section) before cochineal dyeing and you can obtain several different types of red with cochineal by using different mordants. It is important to use soft water when dyeing with cochineal.

Dyeing with Cochineal

Boil about a pint of soft water, pour it over the ground cochineal and leave the powder to soak overnight. The next day, add more soft water to your dyeing vessel leaving enough space for the fibres. Heat the cochineal to near boiling for 15 to 20 minutes.

Let the water cool a little and then filter the dye bath through a coffee filter reserved just for cochineal. Add the mordanted fibres, aiming for no more than 100 grams of fibre (dried weight) per 10 litres of water. Leave the fibres overnight, or simmer the fibres gently at low temperature for about 40 minutes. Remove the fibres from the dye bath and let them dry and cure for a couple of day before washing them.

Buy Cochineal extract




Much more detailed information on:

Dyeing with Cochineal on the Cochineal Dye.com website and on

Dyeing with Cochineal extract here.

Learn more about dyeing with natural dye extracts:

brazilwood extract

chlorophyllin extract

cochineal extract

coreopsis extract

cutch extract

fustic extract

gallnut extract

goldenrod extract

greenweed extract

lac extract

logwood extract

madder extract

myrobalan extract

persian berry extract

sorghum extract

weld extract

ALL natural dye extracts


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Updated on 04 January 2024
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