Craftsmanship
Dyeing with Nettle and Woad
Written by Isabella Moore
Woad gives a blue that arrives green and turns as it meets the air. Watching it is the closest dyeing comes to theatre.
The turn
The skein comes out of the vat the colour of a pond and changes in front of you, edge inward, as the oxygen reaches it. It takes about ninety seconds and nobody who sees it stays quiet.
Nettle, which nobody notices
Nettle gives a soft grey-green that most people assume is undyed, which is either a failure or the entire achievement, depending on the day you ask.
You are not applying a colour. You are persuading the fibre to hold one.
On fastness
Neither is colourfast in the way a synthetic is. They fade toward something, rather than away from it — which is a real difference, not a consolation.
Where it ends up
The quantities are small and the results are never exactly repeatable, which is why these pieces appear rarely and in the signature collection.
Róisín Fahey
Frequently Asked Questions
What colour does woad give?
A blue that arrives green and turns as it meets the air. Watching it is the closest dyeing comes to theatre.
What about nettle?
A soft grey-green that most people assume is undyed — either a failure or the entire achievement, depending on your view.
Are natural dyes colourfast?
Not in the way synthetics are. They fade toward something rather than away from it.
