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These plant dyes are directly collected from local wild filed.

SUMAC 

also spelled sumach, sumak, soumak, and sumaq, grows in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in East Asia, Africa, and North America. The best time to pick leaves and seeds are June and July

DYE PROCESS

Pre-wash fabrics with water, add ½ cup vinegar for every 4 ounces silk fiber, or add 1tbs soda ask for 4 ounces cotton fiber. 
2. Heat to 

1. Remove berries from stems, mash them, and add them to your dye pot. Then covering the berries with water and add ½ cup vinegar(for silk) or 4 tbs salt (for cotton)  for each gallon of water in the pot. 

2. Heat over medium without letting it bubble or boil for 45 to 90 minutes to extract red color.
3. Let it steep for 1 hour then strain the berry mash out.
4. Add pre-mordanted yarn and soak it on medium heat for 1 to 2 hours.
5. When ready let your yarn hang in the shade for at least 20 minutes before rinsing. For deep color, let sit overnight.

*To extract dyes  from plants, use a large ratio of them to fibers. Up to 20-25 parts berry to fiber is optimal for a deep red. A smaller ratio will produce more muted reds, pinks, and pink-oranges.

Sunflower

The middle to end of August and beginning of September tend to be the peak time for sunflowers to bloom. Also it is a good time period to extract dye from the flower.

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