Thank you! This brings back memories. In 1975-76 the American bicentennial, I was in 5th grade. My teacher, Mrs. Hunrath was big into these sort of skills. She taught our class how to card and spin wool and also how to dye it. We used Marigold heads to make a yellow dye. She also taught us how to crochet and water color paint. She was a very talented person and I credit her for starting my love of history.
Denis just gave the best and easiest explanation for color fastness I've ever heard and I'm a dyer/spinner/weaver of a few decades now. Fantastic video, I love seeing the old pots (oh what I wouldn't give to have one or three..LOL).
Absolutely fantastic video and history channel. Having a master dyer/weaver like Denny is such a great thing! We have hundreds of black walnut on our property and my wife already makes furniture stain from the hulls but I can see what she’ll be doing now because she knits. Thank you.
As a spinner and weaver I love seeing this kind of content. Although I have done some dying it is great to see a master dyer at work. You are always learning. Thanks for sharing.❤
I agree with Peter on Denis' finger dexterity, my aching arthritic thumbs are jealous! It's cool that Peter is proudly wearing Denis' wares. It's interesting to learn of the complexity of the dyes and the desired colors of the time.
Dying is a long process. Did it with Rit dye but not natural ingredients. Denis is a talented man. Thanks for another interesting historic video, Peter. You're illustrating a lot of the 18th-century vocations. If there was an award for best TH-cam channel, it be given to you and Cathy Hands down! Thanks again. Look forward to next week.
This is a really great video. And one of the best parts is Denis’ attention to detail and calm manner of doing the work. In the era of “hurry up” we live in I found his slow, methodical mannerisms to be quite refreshing.
ABSOLUTELY F A S C I N A T I N G !!! How WELL DONE this tutorial! Suuuuure makes one appreciate the 'Work' involved in dyeing...Dear Lord = back-breaking stuff! Denis is indeed; 'A man of MANY colors!' He is a very fastidious man and his talents in both dyeing and braiding are evident! GORGEOUS Work! Beautiful life continuing in Fort Kelly...how 'very' faaaaaar removed you are from the world's noise = Blessed! Empress Catherine has captured nature and Denis's dye process wonderfully! I recall a farmer neighbor in the midst of the city, who had a HUGE walnut tree across from us...there were soOOOooo many nuts in that tree...you had to search for branches (bit of a stretch...but not much). Our power lines from the second floor revealed a 'highway of squirrel traffic' that at times was simply amazing. The squirrels buried so many nuts on our property...you could hardly dig for hitting yet another walnut. You surprised me Peter...you never asked Denis, how to come up with the hue of; 'Tickled Pink'! LOL! Thanks so very much dear ones...health an' blessings! "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." (Henry David Thoreau).
I think Denis would agree with you about the hard work involved in dyeing! Thoreau writing sent me down the very path that I journey today. A motivator for me was “ Most men live lives of quiet desperation… I chose not to. As always Marie, I thank you.
Loved watching Denis work his magic. I didn't realize you had walnut trees on the property Peter. Upon reaching the end of the episode I was left wondering if the dyed wool needed to be washed/rinsed after it dried in order to rinse out any extra dye residue. Best Regards to you, Cathy, and Denis!
Man, people can be so amazing and creative. I never really gave dyes and similar products from that era much thought before. I keep thinking everyone only made guns, lol. Extremely interesting and very impressive. Thanks for the video.
Y’all mentioned dying fabric with earth. In Oklahoma are red Clay has a high iron oxide content and you can use it to dye fabric. I fact, people that grew up in Oklahoma have very fond memories of swimming and ponds and creeks when they were kids and coming home with her clothes, stained orangeish brown.
I have heard of using clay for dyeing fabric and it seems a very practical approach to using available local materials. Ah the good old days when kids swam in ponds and creeks.
Thank you for the wonderful tutorial! Denis is an artist! I've only done dyeing using onion skins (both yellow and red) and the colors I attained were nothing like these!!
Appreciate your efforts and dedication! Beautiful colors and a very knowledgeable guest as always. Very talented! Thanks again and keep your powder dry!
Fascinating stuff. Denis does amazing work. Always great to see the old ways of how things were done. You should build a “barracks” in the fort for when you have groups/guests. Thanks for sharing as always.
I watched my great grandmother make dye from Georgia red clay. She dyed cotton not wool so I have no idea how it would work on wool, but it was a nice muted reddish/rusty color. I remember I was stunned dirt made a "red" shirt!
Fascinating video. It looks like Denis is not using a mordant when dying. One thing I do when making walnut dye is to add rubbing alcohol to the final product. It helps prevent mold when storing the dye long term. I was not aware of the kettle material being important. It makes a lot of sense though.
Thanks for your comment. Nuts and Sumac are acidic so they do not need mordant. Gloden rod would need some alum mordant treated wool to get the dye in.
Awesome info! I have about 4 black walnut trees, lots of nuts but once I tried getting the nuts out and found lots of worms inside? They were on the groung and black when I collected them. should I pick off the tree instead? Also, what did the natives use in the NE for red? Or was it a new color for them through trade? Thanks
The best time, especially if you plan on drying them for food is just when they start to fall and are green. Mostly we harvest from the tree, but pick up the green ones from the ground.
Thank you very much for this most interesting video. Our friends the plants, they give us many things. There is a story i once heard. Man was being wasteful and killing too many animals. They decided to take revenge and declare war on man. But they didnt know howand when Bear tried to shoot the bow his claws cut the string. So it was decided in a big meeting that the animals would give man disease. But the plants, on hearing the loud animals discussing the issue and the resulting decision, they the plants, who were friends to man, got together in a grand meeting of their own. They decided that for every disease the animals came up with that there would be a plant who would either cure or alleviate the suffering that came to man from the animals. It has been so ever since. As an aside i well remember the walnut stain i got on my hands from picking up black walnuts to sell at the local coop each fall for spending money. It took a pickup bed mounded over for me to buy my first single shot 22.
I'm glad you are interested in natural dyes! The book "The Dyer's Companion: A Complete Guide to Natural Dyes" is an excellent resource for learning about the history and practice of natural dyeing.
"dirt being a actual dye". You should have grown up in the southern US were we went barefooted all summer long. It took until Christmas time for the red stain from the clay to wear off our feet!
Different plant materials like blood root and golden rod will give very bright colours. Often is is using one plant for a certain colour and then dying in a second colour to get the desired colour. So yellow and blue mixed gives a green … golden rod and indigo .
You would get that same colour as the material went in. Certain plants, soils and nut have the characteristics required to change colour. Some are do with their acidity .
Very interesting. It's sad how much of the old processes we have lost. That said I think we have lost much of the ones from the late 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. One I readily think of if the wool material used for the early Mackinaw coats. Patrick Duluth made them first from wool material made by natve women in Canada before buying a Scandinavian woolen factory in Minnesota. Patrick was known for making blankets as close to indentical to Hudson Bay blankets and sold them in western Canada an northwest United States. Those blankets and coats are much different than the thinner wool of today and I am not sure if they were somewhat felted as well. I believe that is what the women did but it's only a theory and little is known today except basic history. Saddly that and much more were lost.
That’s a fascinating point about the loss of those old manufacturing processes. There is a fellow in the States named Robert Stone that still hand loom weaves blankets. I’m the proud owner of one of his early French trade blankets.
The only thing you need to do next, is to accept the LORD JESUS CHRIST as your savior. John 3:16 Context 13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Thank you! This brings back memories. In 1975-76 the American bicentennial, I was in 5th grade. My teacher, Mrs. Hunrath was big into these sort of skills. She taught our class how to card and spin wool and also how to dye it. We used Marigold heads to make a yellow dye. She also taught us how to crochet and water color paint. She was a very talented person and I credit her for starting my love of history.
Mrs. Hunrath sounds like a wonderful teacher!
Nowadays teachers teach kids how to dye rainbows in their hair and how to misuse pronouns
Denis just gave the best and easiest explanation for color fastness I've ever heard and I'm a dyer/spinner/weaver of a few decades now. Fantastic video, I love seeing the old pots (oh what I wouldn't give to have one or three..LOL).
Glad you found it helpful and thanks for the kind words on the pots!
Thanks for your comment! I guess repeating it many times in reenactings for the public helped me brang it to the most simple way to explain!
Absolutely fantastic video and history channel. Having a master dyer/weaver like Denny is such a great thing!
We have hundreds of black walnut on our property and my wife already makes furniture stain from the hulls but I can see what she’ll be doing now because she knits. Thank you.
It is amazing the colour you can get from such simple plants and tools.
As a spinner and weaver I love seeing this kind of content. Although I have done some dying it is great to see a master dyer at work. You are always learning. Thanks for sharing.❤
Thanks! I am always learning, and it is rewarding to share what I learn with others.
I agree with Peter on Denis' finger dexterity, my aching arthritic thumbs are jealous!
It's cool that Peter is proudly wearing Denis' wares.
It's interesting to learn of the complexity of the dyes and the desired colors of the time.
Dying is a long process. Did it with Rit dye but not natural ingredients. Denis is a talented man. Thanks for another interesting historic video, Peter. You're illustrating a lot of the 18th-century vocations. If there was an award for best TH-cam channel, it be given to you and Cathy
Hands down! Thanks again. Look forward to next week.
Thank you for the kind words! I’m always looking for more ways to illustrate the past.
This is a really great video. And one of the best parts is Denis’ attention to detail and calm manner of doing the work.
In the era of “hurry up” we live in I found his slow, methodical mannerisms to be quite refreshing.
Couldn't agree more and a good friend to boot!
ABSOLUTELY F A S C I N A T I N G !!! How WELL DONE this tutorial! Suuuuure makes one appreciate the 'Work' involved in dyeing...Dear Lord = back-breaking stuff! Denis is indeed; 'A man of MANY colors!' He is a very fastidious man and his talents in both dyeing and braiding are evident! GORGEOUS Work! Beautiful life continuing in Fort Kelly...how 'very' faaaaaar removed you are from the world's noise = Blessed! Empress Catherine has captured nature and Denis's dye process wonderfully! I recall a farmer neighbor in the midst of the city, who had a HUGE walnut tree across from us...there were soOOOooo many nuts in that tree...you had to search for branches (bit of a stretch...but not much). Our power lines from the second floor revealed a 'highway of squirrel traffic' that at times was simply amazing. The squirrels buried so many nuts on our property...you could hardly dig for hitting yet another walnut. You surprised me Peter...you never asked Denis, how to come up with the hue of; 'Tickled Pink'! LOL! Thanks so very much dear ones...health an' blessings! "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." (Henry David Thoreau).
I think Denis would agree with you about the hard work involved in dyeing! Thoreau writing sent me down the very path that I journey today. A motivator for me was “ Most men live lives of quiet desperation… I chose not to. As always Marie, I thank you.
Thanks for the workshop on the dyeing process. Tell Denis Dennis said hello!
I thank you and I’ll pass that on.
A terrific educational video. Denis clearly is a master of dyes and the wools, linen, cotton etc. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thanks! I enjoy learning these old techniques and sharing them with others.
Another great video, Peter and Kathy, never realized that there was so much work to make dye. Interesting video. Keep your powder dry
It's a lot of work, but worth it for the beautiful colors! Watch yer top knot!
Just amazing works of art! Beautiful craftsmanship with the dying, such an incredible talent.
Thank you! It's a great way to connect with the past.
Has always this is hugely intersecting…thank you!
Glad you liked it! I love learning about these things.
Great video! It is amazing to think of the labour involved in making anything at that time! And how beautiful and functional everything was!
Yes, the amount of labor was incredible!
Loved watching Denis work his magic. I didn't realize you had walnut trees on the property Peter.
Upon reaching the end of the episode I was left wondering if the dyed wool needed to be washed/rinsed after it dried in order to rinse out any extra dye residue.
Best Regards to you, Cathy, and Denis!
We do have walnut trees here, and the dyed wool doesn't need rinsing. I was amazed at how consistent the colour was.
I think I’m going to go harvest some Sumac today and try this. I like making Wild Berry juice from them too.
I hope it turns out well for you!
Beautiful works of art. Thank for sharing Kelly family. JJ
Thank you for watching, JJ!
I thought this was a fantastic video and very informative. You guys know your stuff.
Thank you for watching, glad you found it informative!
Great video, i found it very interesting. I've always been fascinated by the types of natural dyes that one can use!
Thanks, the possibilities are truly endless!
Always an amazing process to watch, thank you for sharing.
It is a very rewarding and relaxing process!
Yes, excellent video a ton of effort goes into the process but well worth it in the end !
It is a rewarding process to say the least!
Wow... fantastic! Another very informative and entertaining episode.
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Very educational! The only dye that I’ve used is from black walnut hulls. I’m gonna have to try the sumac next. Man, that guy knows his stuff!
That he does and very willing to share that knowledge!
Very educational! Thanks for sharing!
Fun process. Haven't had to do it for a while now. Thanks for sharing
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I love natural dyes! I’ve been waiting for you to make a video on this lol.
I hope this video is as good as you’ve been waiting for!
@@TheWoodlandEscape it was!
Man, people can be so amazing and creative. I never really gave dyes and similar products from that era much thought before. I keep thinking everyone only made guns, lol. Extremely interesting and very impressive. Thanks for the video.
Right, guns were important but so was the ability to create beautiful and useful colors from the natural world.
@@TheWoodlandEscape
Absolutely!!
This is so interesting, make me wanna try it myself. Thank you so much.
I hope you do, it's a rewarding experience!
Vandyke brown is made from walnut husks. I used to use it to stain oak furniture in the 1970s.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
COOL ! I remember
Bob Ross used that color pigment. I wonder if it's named after the Dutch painter.
Y’all mentioned dying fabric with earth. In Oklahoma are red Clay has a high iron oxide content and you can use it to dye fabric. I fact, people that grew up in Oklahoma have very fond memories of swimming and ponds and creeks when they were kids and coming home with her clothes, stained orangeish brown.
I have heard of using clay for dyeing fabric and it seems a very practical approach to using available local materials. Ah the good old days when kids swam in ponds and creeks.
LOVE ALL YOUR STUFF DONT MISS ANY KEEP IT COMING. LOVE THE FORT. HOWDY DAVIS
You flatter me, sir.
Thank you for the wonderful tutorial! Denis is an artist!
I've only done dyeing using onion skins (both yellow and red) and the colors I attained were nothing like these!!
They really are beautiful colors!
Wonderful and super educational presentation!
Thanks, it's a great way to connect with the past!
Appreciate your efforts and dedication! Beautiful colors and a very knowledgeable guest as always. Very talented! Thanks again and keep your powder dry!
Thank you, I appreciate that! Watch yer top knot!
Wow, fantastic, Thank you all very much for a interesting dying tutorial
Thanks, it’s a great way to connect with the past!
Excellent video. I've made a drink from sumac. Very similar to lemonade
You’re in good company; sumac was commonly used as a beverage in the past.
That was very interesting
Fascinating stuff. Denis does amazing work. Always great to see the old ways of how things were done.
You should build a “barracks” in the fort for when you have groups/guests. Thanks for sharing as always.
Denis certainly does know his way around a dye pot! As to more building, I’m running out of space. The blockhouse will sleep 10 when completed.
Interesting video as always
Thanks! I enjoy sharing this type of traditional knowledge.
I got a t-shirt in Hawaii that was dyed with the reddish brown dirt there. It reminded me of good tobacco dirt.
Such a beautiful red! Didn't know there was an alternative to the cactus bug at the time for such a bright red.😊
It's a great example of the ingenuity of traditional dye makers!
I watched my great grandmother make dye from Georgia red clay. She dyed cotton not wool so I have no idea how it would work on wool, but it was a nice muted reddish/rusty color. I remember I was stunned dirt made a "red" shirt!
That is fascinating, I wonder if the red clay would make a different color on wool.
@@TheWoodlandEscape After I posted that I tried my level best to remember just HOW she did it so I could try, but I was to young.
Fascinating video. It looks like Denis is not using a mordant when dying. One thing I do when making walnut dye is to add rubbing alcohol to the final product. It helps prevent mold when storing the dye long term. I was not aware of the kettle material being important. It makes a lot of sense though.
Yes, Denis has a great feel for the different dye methods!
Thanks for your comment. Nuts and Sumac are acidic so they do not need mordant. Gloden rod would need some alum mordant treated wool to get the dye in.
Dyes? GOOD. During the introduction I thought you were going to drink it ! Well, the pond water would’ve been boiled, so I guess you could drink it😀
Might make for an interesting beverage, lol.
You can make lemonade from sumac, early harvest.
@@deniscaron1306 I’ve heard that, but I’ve never tried it, maybe next year.
good one
I appreciate you watching!
👍great video
Thanks for watching!
@@TheWoodlandEscape 😎
Good afternoon from Syracuse NY USA brother and everyone else
Thanks, Earl.
@@TheWoodlandEscape you are welcome my friend and yes I shared your video
Good to see Denny again, I would love to have one of his sashes, very educational, lots of fun.
Your Hat is it made of leather?
My hat is made from wool. Dennis would likely make you one to order.
That would be cool. Share my info , or send me his please.@TheWoodlandEscape
@@rogerclyde2720 will do
nice 😃😃
Glad you enjoyed it!
Interesting…ty
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome info! I have about 4 black walnut trees, lots of nuts but once I tried getting the nuts out and found lots of worms inside? They were on the groung and black when I collected them. should I pick off the tree instead? Also, what did the natives use in the NE for red? Or was it a new color for them through trade? Thanks
The best time, especially if you plan on drying them for food is just when they start to fall and are green. Mostly we harvest from the tree, but pick up the green ones from the ground.
Fantastic job and very interesting! Was wool only worn in cold seasons or year around? (would seem to be too hot of a material in the summer)
Good question. It was worn year round, particularly in the military. Wool garments lasted much longer than other materials.
Fascinating
Thanks Peter
How does one tell sumac from poison sumac?
Frank
They look entirely different including the fruiting bodies.
Thank you very much for this most interesting video. Our friends the plants, they give us many things. There is a story i once heard. Man was being wasteful and killing too many animals. They decided to take revenge and declare war on man. But they didnt know howand when Bear tried to shoot the bow his claws cut the string. So it was decided in a big meeting that the animals would give man disease. But the plants, on hearing the loud animals discussing the issue and the resulting decision, they the plants, who were friends to man, got together in a grand meeting of their own. They decided that for every disease the animals came up with that there would be a plant who would either cure or alleviate the suffering that came to man from the animals. It has been so ever since. As an aside i well remember the walnut stain i got on my hands from picking up black walnuts to sell at the local coop each fall for spending money. It took a pickup bed mounded over for me to buy my first single shot 22.
It is amazing the symbiotic relationship we have with plants. That first 22, I’m sure the effort was worth it!
LOVE color. Thanks. I thought I heard natives liked red. True?
Many indigenous groups used red dyes in their clothing and other materials.
Totally love this and would like to know we're to pick up book or books to learn?
I'm glad you are interested in natural dyes! The book "The Dyer's Companion: A Complete Guide to Natural Dyes" is an excellent resource for learning about the history and practice of natural dyeing.
"dirt being a actual dye". You should have grown up in the southern US were we went barefooted all summer long. It took until Christmas time for the red stain from the clay to wear off our feet!
You’ve given me my first laugh of the day!
Aww, I was hoping they'd go into detail about how to set the colors with urine.
Not required if the product is acidic, such as sumac.
@@TheWoodlandEscape good to know. Thanks.
How in the world were those pots made way back then?!
The cast iron ones were done using sand castings and the copper formed and soldered.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO- PASSING ON TO 50 FRIENDS KEN DAVIS
We sincerely appreciate your interest and support, Ken.
So how do you get those bright colors those look very brownish
Different plant materials like blood root and golden rod will give very bright colours. Often is is using one plant for a certain colour and then dying in a second colour to get the desired colour. So yellow and blue mixed gives a green … golden rod and indigo .
I can get lots of walnuts to make the dye bath, but how do you "set" the stain without it coming off onto your skin???
I’ve not found it a problem with linen. I do wash the new linen in salt water which helps set the colour.
@@TheWoodlandEscape same with wool!
Can you get a dye from tree leaves we have a maple tree with bright red leaves now? Is this possible if not why not?
You would get that same colour as the material went in. Certain plants, soils and nut have the characteristics required to change colour. Some are do with their acidity .
❤😊😊
Very interesting. It's sad how much of the old processes we have lost. That said I think we have lost much of the ones from the late 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. One I readily think of if the wool material used for the early Mackinaw coats. Patrick Duluth made them first from wool material made by natve women in Canada before buying a Scandinavian woolen factory in Minnesota. Patrick was known for making blankets as close to indentical to Hudson Bay blankets and sold them in western Canada an northwest United States. Those blankets and coats are much different than the thinner wool of today and I am not sure if they were somewhat felted as well. I believe that is what the women did but it's only a theory and little is known today except basic history. Saddly that and much more were lost.
That’s a fascinating point about the loss of those old manufacturing processes. There is a fellow in the States named Robert Stone that still hand loom weaves blankets. I’m the proud owner of one of his early French trade blankets.
Oh the French 😊
🎉🙏💥😇
If poeple stayed this busy maybe there would be less discontent and less depression. Everyone should learn a craft from the past.
You raise a good point!
That's shumack and you can use that for medical purposes
It also makes a lemonade like drink
@@randallross7683 outstanding my friend and thank you for sharing your information
The only thing you need to do next, is to accept the LORD JESUS CHRIST as your savior. John 3:16 Context
13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.