Marigold Dye Extract | Bright Yellow Eco Dye for Fabrics

Our Marigold Dye is a beautiful and vibrant option for creating yellow to orange hues on fabrics. Derived from natural marigold flowers, this dye is perfect for cotton, linen, silk, and wool. Marigold dye is ideal for eco-conscious artisans and DIY enthusiasts looking for sustainable and plant-based dyeing solutions. Pair it with an eco-friendly mordant to ensure your textiles maintain their brightness and longevity.

Botanical name: Tagetes erecta

Common name: Flor de Muertos, Genda, Jhandu, Aztec Marigold

Colorant: Lutein, Zeaxanthin

Dye type: This is an adjective dye (needs mordants for better fastness).

Shade Range: It produces vivid yellow, gold and sometimes even soft oranges. Acidic modifiers such as citric acid will brighten the tone to a more yellow​​, while iron will cause the tone to shift toward greenish ones.

Mordant Requirements: Be sure to use alum and iron to deepen the color and make it fast. Both protein and cellulose fibers can be processed in marigold.

Fastness: Lightfastness and washfastness are moderate, particularly with the addition of mordants such as alum or iron​.

Common Uses: Popular in ecofriendly fabric dyeing; the flowers are also used in traditional Indian ceremonies and in Mexican festivals such as Dia de los Muertos. It often is used in combination with other natural dyes in order to broaden its color range.

Country of Origin: South America, India

Vegetarian product: Yes

How to dye fabric with marigold dye: Natural dyeing is a rewarding process that connects us to age-old techniques using plant-based materials. Here are essential instructions for working safely with marigold dye.

Preparation: Scouring and Mordanting

Properly preparing fibers ensures better dye absorption and color longevity. This preparation differs slightly for protein (animal-based) and cellulose (plant-based) fibers:

For Protein Fibers (Wool, Silk, Alpaca):

1. Scour the Fibers: Protein fibers are generally ready to mordant directly. For best results, weigh out the dry fibers and calculate alum mordant at 12% of their weight.
2. Prepare the Mordant Bath: Dissolve the alum in a pot of hot water, stirring well. Gently place the fibers in the solution.
3. Heat and Maintain: Bring the mordant bath to 180°F, keeping it at this temperature for 1 hour. Stir every 15–20 minutes for even mordanting. If you lack a thermometer, look for steam without bubbling.
4. Cool and Rinse: Allow the fibers to cool in the mordant bath before rinsing briefly in lukewarm water. For richer color, leave fibers to steep in the cooled bath for 2–3 nights.

For Cellulose Fibers (Cotton, Linen):

1. Scouring: Cellulose fibers require more extensive scouring. Create a soda ash solution by adding 2 tsp of soda ash and a drop of dish soap to a 5-gallon pot. Add fibers and heat to 180°F–190°F for an hour. After cooling, rinse thoroughly. Alternative Scouring: You can wet the fabric with a wetting agent like soapnut(Reetha) or by washing at 50°C for 20 minutes. This prepares the fibers for even tannin absorption.
2. Apply a Tannin: To help cellulose fibers retain dye, treat them with a tannin (e.g., Myrobalan at 30% WOF or Sumac Extract at 10% WOF). Dissolve tannin in hot water, simmer fibers for an hour, then let them cool and steep overnight. After steeping, gently squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Mordanting with Alum: After tannin treatment, proceed with alum mordanting as described for protein fibers. Some dyers add 1% soda ash to the mordant bath to neutralize pH.

Dyeing with Marigold

Once your fibers are prepared, proceed to the dyeing stage to bring vibrant, lasting color to the material:

1. Prepare the Dye Bath: Add marigold dye to the bath, using approximately 5% of the fabric’s weight. Adjust the dye amount for lighter or darker shades.
2. Adjust pH: Keep the dye bath at pH 5. If the pH is above 5, add vinegar; if it’s below, add lime or soda ash to increase the pH. Stir to ensure the dye dissolves evenly. If you are aiming for more brighter tones, shift the pH of your dye bath to a more alkaline 9 or 10 and you can achieve more vibrant yellows.
3. Dye the Fabric: Submerge the prepared fibers in the dye bath and heat to 95°C, maintaining this temperature for 60–80 minutes.
4. Post-Treatment Soaping: After dyeing, perform a soaping treatment with a non-ionic detergent (0.5 gpl) or a mild soap at 50°C for 30 minutes. This helps set the color.
5. Final Rinse: Rinse the dyed fibers in water at 50°C for 20 minutes or more, removing any excess dye and detergent residue.

Following these steps will allow you to create richly colored, lasting textiles that honor traditional dyeing techniques while respecting safety and sustainability.