WALNUT HULL
Walnut Hull
A CLASSIC AMERICAN BROWN
Shepherd Textiles Walnut Hull Natural Dye contains the dried husks of the black walnut, juglans nigra. Black walnut is a traditional dye for wool and cotton that historically was very popular with rural families and craft dyers in the eastern part of the United States. It is simple to apply and does not require a mordant (although alum or iron can be used to modify the color) and gives good, lightfast shades of brown. Use at 50%-100% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for medium to dark browns on wool, or softer shades on cotton. Product of Mexico.
Shepherd Textiles Walnut Hull Natural Dye contains the dried husks of the black walnut, juglans nigra. Black walnut is a traditional dye for wool and cotton that historically was very popular with rural families and craft dyers in the eastern part of the United States. It is simple to apply and does not require a mordant (although alum or iron can be used to modify the color) and gives good, lightfast shades of brown. Use at 50%-100% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for medium to dark browns on wool, or softer shades on cotton. Product of Mexico.
Before using, please read our Guide to Dyeing With Walnut Hull for color recipes, background, and safety information.
1. Background on Walnut Hull
The black walnut tree, juglans nigra, is native to the eastern United States from Massachusetts down to Mississippi and east Texas. Both the bark and the husks are rich in a brown pigment called juglone, as well as a variety of natural plant tannins. Juglone is actually a mild phytotoxin that discourages other plants from growing near black walnut trees (it is, apparently, especially deadly for tomatoes and pepper plants). The nuts are encased in a hard shell surrounded by a soft husk or hull. The hulls start out green, but quickly turn brown after the fruits drop off the tree and begin to dry out. These dried brown hulls are rich sources of dyestuff and simply need to be simmered for an hour or two in water to make a strong dye bath suitable for natural fibers like wool and cotton.
Black walnut hull has a long history of use in the eastern and southern United States. It was very popular with rural families and craft dyers in the 18th and 19th centuries because it was plentiful, easy to use, and available even when imported dyes like indigo and brazilwood were unobtainable. Black walnut was one of the main sources of “butternut,” the common brown shade that many homespun garments were dyed in the deep South. Interestingly, walnut hulls seem to have been mostly ignored by professional dye houses. They are not discussed in any of the classic dye manuals published in the 1800s, except for a few sentences in Crace-Calvert’s “Dyeing and Calico-Printing” (1878:329) where he mentions that walnut husks were used by tapestry weavers in France to get reddish browns. Although potent, economical, and popular with domestic dyers, walnut hulls never became a major commercial dye.
In the dye bath, walnut hull behaves similarly to tannin-based dyes like chestnut bark. The color is substantive on wool and cotton (that is, it does not require a mordant), has only a modest affinity for alum (the color will shift very slightly toward a yellower shade of brown), and complexes easily with iron to produce dark chocolate shades. The color can be modified with mordants, or by adding a small amount of another dye like madder root to the dye bath to adjust the hue of brown. This is a versatile, useful, and easy-to-apply dye that is suitable both for beginners just starting to experiment with natural dyes, and experienced dyers looking for a variety of shades of fast brown.
2. Safety Precautions
This product is intended for textile projects only.
Not for use in food, cosmetics, or hair care products. Do not ingest.
This product is not classified as hazardous under GHS (the Globally Harmonized System for identifying hazardous chemicals). However, it is a strong dye and we recommend handling it with precautions appropriate for any pigment or dyestuff. Wear gloves and eye protection while handling the hulls, and wash hands after use.
Dust and grit from walnut hulls may cause eye irritation. If eye contact occurs, rinse well with cool water.
To prevent skin stains, avoid direct skin contact. If skin contact occurs, rinse well with cool water.
Walnut Hull Natural Dye can permanently dye clothing, countertops, rugs, utensils, or other property. Avoid contact with anything not meant to be dyed.
Use only dye pots and utensils dedicated to dyeing. Do not use any pots, containers, spoons, thermometers, or other utensils that will be used for food preparation.
Metal mordants like ferrous sulfate are irritants and may be harmful if swallowed. Read your manufacturer’s safety data sheet (SDS) before use.
Walnut Hull Natural Dye, and all dye baths and mordant liquors made while dyeing, should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Use only with adult supervision.
Shepherd Textiles, LLC is not liable for any misuse of this product or any unintended staining of your clothing, workspace, or other property. Use only as directed.
3. Recommended Supplies
Dye pot. Use a stainless steel dye pot large enough to hold all your fibers, with plenty of room for them to move around and for the liquid to circulate freely.
Metal tongs. A pair of tongs is useful for stirring and taking fabric out. Use tongs dedicated to dyeing, and not for food preparation.
Rubber gloves. Wear rubber gloves while handling dry hulls and while handling mordanted/dyed fiber before it is rinsed.
Candy thermometer. Use a thermometer to keep track of the proper temperature during mordanting and dyeing.
Scale. Use a scale to weigh out fiber, mordant, and hulls.
[Optional] Mordants. Walnut hull does not require a mordant, but alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) or iron (ferrous sulfate) can be used to modify the color.
[Optional] Cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is required to properly mordant wool with alum or iron.
4. Preparation: Scouring & Mordanting
Textile fibers should always be scoured (cleaned) before mordanting and dyeing. If the fibers are not clean, mordants and dyes may not be able to penetrate them evenly, leading to patchy colors. Worse, the color may crock (rub off) after dyeing. Walnut hull does not require a mordant, but wool may be pre-mordanted with alum or iron to modify the color — see recipes in Sections 6 & 7. Cotton does not need to be pre-mordanted; instead the color can be modified with iron after dyeing (see recipe in Section 9).
For woolen fibers: Scour, and optionally mordant with alum or iron.
Weigh out the fibers (while they are dry) so that you can calculate the amount of walnut hulls to use later. You will also need to know the dry weight of the fibers to calculate the correct amount of mordant, if you intend to mordant them.
Scour (clean) the fibers well. Fill a dye pot with enough warm water for the fibers to move around freely. Add 1 teaspoon of a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol per pound of wool (some dyers like to use Orvus Paste instead; refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for proper use). Add the woolen fibers and raise the heat to 160°F (70°C). Maintain this heat for one hour, stirring occasionally so the fibers scour evenly. After an hour, turn off the heat. When the fibers are cool enough to handle safely, remove them and rinse in several changes of warm water until the water runs clear. Be sure to handle woolen fibers carefully to avoid felting them. Do not wring them, and do not move them from hot water directly into cold water, because sudden temperature changes can encourage woolen fibers to felt. If you do not intend to mordant the fibers, proceed directly to dyeing.
[Optional] Mordant the fibers with alum or iron . To mordant with alum, weigh out 10% weight-of-fabric (WOF) alum and 11% cream of tartar. To mordant with iron, weigh out 5% ferrous sulfate and 10% cream of tartar.
When ready to begin mordanting, fill a dye pot with enough warm water for the fibers to move around freely.
Add the cream of tartar first, and mix well until dissolved. Add the alum or iron next, and mix well until dissolved.
Gently place your wetted, scoured fibers into the mordant bath.
Gradually heat mordant bath to 180°F (82°C) over the course of about half an hour. Maintain the heat at 180°F for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the fibers mordant evenly. Keep a lid on the bath as much as possible, as any steam will be mildly acidic.
After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow the mordant bath to cool. The fibers can be removed as soon as they are cool enough to safely handle, or they can be left to steep in the mordant bath until it has cooled down to room temperature (which will slightly increase the amount of mordant that is absorbed).
Remove the mordanted fibers and rinse well in two or three changes of lukewarm water. The fiber should not be washed with detergent, but excess mordant and cream of tartar should be rinsed out before dyeing.
Proceed directly to dyeing.
Dispose of mordant solution according to local guidelines.
For cotton & linen: Scour well before dyeing.
Weigh out the fibers (while they are dry) so that you can calculate the amount of walnut hulls to use later.
Scour (clean) the cotton or linen fibers well: Fill a dye pot with enough warm water for the fibers to move around freely. Add 1 gram of soda ash (sodium carbonate), plus 1 gram for each additional pound of fiber, plus a few drops of liquid soap. Add the fibers and raise the heat to a very gentle simmer. Simmer the fibers for one hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, remove from the heat. When cool enough to handle safely, rinse well with warm water until the water runs clear. Proceed directly to dyeing.
Recipes
5. Natural Brown on Woolens
Walnut hulls will dye wool a fine warm brown shade without the need for a mordant. The dyeing process is very simple — just simmer the walnut hulls for an hour or two to extract the color, strain, then apply it to clean wool. The color will vary from a creamy brown shade to a dark reddish-brown, depending on how much dye is used. The colors obtained have good fastness to light, and for that reason many dyers do not bother mordanting wool before dyeing it with walnut hull. Note that the color in the dye bath will not exhaust completely onto the wool (especially if you are dyeing a darker shade of brown) so if you like you can re-use the bath to dye another piece to a lighter shade of brown.
Wool yarn, 20% WOF
Wool yarn, 50% WOF
Wool yarn, 100% WOF
Fill your dye pot with enough hot water for your fibers to move around freely.
Build a dye bath with the appropriate amount of walnut hulls. Measure out 20% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for a pastel brown, 50% for a light brown, or 100% for a medium to dark brown. Add the hulls to the dye bath, raise the heat to a gentle simmer (about 190°F/90°C), cover, and simmer gently for 1 or 2 hours to extract the color. Afterwards, allow the bath to cool to room temperature and then strain out the spent hulls. Alternately, put the hulls in a cotton bag before adding them to the dye bath so that they can easily be removed after the color is extracted, without leaving any tiny bits of sediment behind.
Once the dye bath has cooled down to room temperature and the hulls have been removed, it is ready for dyeing. Gently add your wetted and scoured wool to the bath.
Heat the dyebath to 180°F very gradually, over the course of about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the wool dyes evenly. Maintain this heat for 1 hour and continue to stir occasionally. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
When the wool is cool enough to handle safely, remove with tongs and rinse well in warm water until the water runs clear. If necessary, wash with a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for best results. CAUTION: Goods dyed with walnut hulls may bleed if not thoroughly rinsed.
Hang up to dry out of direct sunlight.
6. Alum-Mordanted Browns on Woolens
Mordanting wool with alum will not have a dramatic effect on the color produced by walnut hulls, although it will shift the hue toward a slightly more yellowish shade of brown. The effect is pleasant, if modest. It seems likely that the pigments in walnut hull do not complex with aluminum as readily as they do with other mordants like iron. However, pre-mordanting with alum also makes it possible to adjust the color by adding other dyes to the dye bath: for example, adding a little madder root to get a ruddy shade of mahogany brown. Other mordant dyes like cochineal or weld could also be used to adjust the color, although we recommend using a light touch so as not to overwhelm the brown.
Wool yarn, 50% WOF
Wool yarn, 100% WOF
50% WOF + 10% Madder Root
Prepare the wool by pre-mordanting it with 10% alum and 11% cream of tartar according to the directions in Section 4.
Fill your dye pot with enough hot water for your fibers to move around freely.
Build a dye bath with the appropriate amount of walnut hulls. Measure out 50% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for a medium brown, or 100% for a dark brown. For a reddish brown, add 10% madder root as well. Add the hulls (and madder root, if using) to the dye bath, raise the heat to a gentle simmer (about 190°F/90°C), cover, and simmer gently for 1 or 2 hours to extract the color. Afterwards, allow the bath to cool to room temperature and then strain out the spent hulls. Alternately, put the hulls in a cotton bag before adding them to the dye bath so that they can easily be removed after the color is extracted, without leaving any tiny bits of sediment behind.
Once the dye bath has cooled down to room temperature and the hulls have been removed, it is ready for dyeing. Gently add your wetted and alum-mordanted wool to the bath.
Heat the dyebath to 180°F very gradually, over the course of about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the wool dyes evenly. Maintain this heat for 1 hour and continue to stir occasionally. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool until the wool can safely be handled.
When the wool is cool enough to handle safely, remove with tongs and rinse well in warm water until the water runs clear. If necessary, wash with a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for best results. CAUTION: Goods dyed with walnut hulls may bleed if not thoroughly rinsed.
Hang up to dry out of direct sunlight.
7. Chocolate Brown on Woolens
Walnut hulls have a great affinity for iron, which will shift the color toward a grayish brown (if only a small number of hulls are used) or a deep chocolate shade (if more hulls are used). The iron can be applied to the wool either as a pre-mordant or as a “saddening” agent after dyeing. Historically this color was also sometimes achieved by dyeing the goods in an iron cauldron, which has a similar effect. Here we have elected to pre-mordant the wool with iron and plenty of cream of tartar, which helps keep the wool soft and prevents the iron from damaging it.
Wool yarn, 20% WOF
Wool yarn, 50% WOF
Wool yarn, 100% WOF
Prepare the wool by pre-mordanting it with iron (ferrous) sulfate and cream of tartar according to the directions in Section 4. Use 5% weight-of-fabric (WOF) iron and 10% cream of tartar.
Fill your dye pot with enough hot water for your fibers to move around freely.
Build a dye bath with the appropriate amount of walnut hulls. Measure out 20% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for a light grayish brown, 50% for a medium brown, or 100% for a dark chocolate brown. Add the hulls to the dye bath, raise the heat to a gentle simmer (about 190°F/90°C), cover, and simmer gently for 1 or 2 hours to extract the color. Afterwards, allow the bath to cool to room temperature and then strain out the spent hulls. Alternately, put the hulls in a cotton bag before adding them to the dye bath so that they can easily be removed after the color is extracted, without leaving any tiny bits of sediment behind.
Once the dye bath has cooled down to room temperature and the hulls have been removed, it is ready for dyeing. Gently add your wetted and iron-mordanted wool to the bath.
Heat the dyebath to 180°F very gradually, over the course of about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the wool dyes evenly. Maintain this heat for 1 hour and continue to stir occasionally. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool until the wool can safely be handled.
When the wool is cool enough to handle safely, remove with tongs and rinse well in warm water until the water runs clear. If necessary, wash with a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for best results. CAUTION: Goods dyed with walnut hulls may bleed if not thoroughly rinsed.
Hang up to dry out of direct sunlight.
8. Natural Brown on Cotton
Walnut hulls will also dye plant fibers like cotton and linen without the need for a mordant. The shades of brown obtained are much lighter than they are on wool and not quite as fast to light. Nonetheless, this was a common way of dyeing cotton homespun goods in rural areas of the eastern and southern United States. The process is the same as for dyeing wool, although cotton can tolerate a higher temperature without being damaged. Since plant fibers absorb less dye out of the dye bath, there will probably be a lot of color left in the pot when you are finished dyeing. If you like, you can add more scoured fiber to this “exhaust bath” and re-use it to get lighter shades of brown.
Cotton shirt, 100% WOF
Cotton shirt, exhaust bath from 100% WOF
Fill your dye pot with enough hot water for your fibers to move around freely.
Build a dye bath with 100% weight-of-fabric (WOF) walnut hulls. Add the hulls to the water, raise the heat to a gentle simmer (about 190°F/90°C), cover, and simmer gently for 1 or 2 hours to extract the color. Afterwards, allow the bath to cool to room temperature and then strain out the spent hulls. Alternately, put the hulls in a cotton bag before adding them to the dye bath so that they can easily be removed after the color is extracted, without leaving any tiny bits of sediment behind.
Once the dye bath has cooled down to room temperature and the hulls have been removed, it is ready for dyeing. Gently add your wetted and scoured cotton to the bath.
Heat the dyebath to 190°F very gradually, over the course of about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the cotton dyes evenly. Maintain this heat for 1 hour and continue to stir occasionally. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. For the darkest results, allow the cotton to steep in the dye bath overnight. However, be sure that the cotton is fully submerged if letting it steep overnight, otherwise some areas of the fiber may end up lighter or darker.
When finished steeping, remove the cotton with tongs and rinse well in warm water until the water runs clear. If necessary, wash with a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for best results. CAUTION: Goods dyed with walnut hulls may bleed if not thoroughly rinsed.
Hang up to dry out of direct sunlight.
9. Iron Brown on Cotton
Iron will also deepen the color of walnut hulls on cotton, although not quite as dramatically as it does on wool. The hue will shift from a pale grayish brown toward a soft bark brown. In this recipe we will post-mordant or “sadden” the cotton, rather than trying to pre-mordant it. This method takes advantage of the high tannin content of walnut hulls. The cotton will absorb a large quantity of tannins from the dye bath, and the iron “saddening” bath afterwards will permanently fix them to the fibers.
Cotton shirt, 100% WOF
Fill your dye pot with enough hot water for your fibers to move around freely.
Build a dye bath with 100% weight-of-fabric (WOF) walnut hulls. Add the hulls to the water, raise the heat to a gentle simmer (about 190°F/90°C), cover, and simmer gently for 1 or 2 hours to extract the color. Afterwards, allow the bath to cool to room temperature and then strain out the spent hulls. Alternately, put the hulls in a cotton bag before adding them to the dye bath so that they can easily be removed after the color is extracted, without leaving any tiny bits of sediment behind.
Once the dye bath has cooled down to room temperature and the hulls have been removed, it is ready for dyeing. Gently add your wetted and scoured cotton to the bath.
Heat the dyebath to 190°F very gradually, over the course of about 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the cotton dyes evenly. Maintain this heat for 1 hour and continue to stir occasionally. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. For the darkest results, allow the cotton to steep in the dye bath overnight. However, be sure that the cotton is fully submerged if letting it steep overnight, otherwise some areas of the fiber may end up lighter or darker.
Prepare an iron mordant bath: fill a dye pot with enough room temperature or lukewarm water for your fibers to move around freely. Add 4% weight-of-fabric (WOF) ferrous sulfate and mix well until dissolved. Since the water is not hot, it may take a little stirring to get the powder fully dissolved.
Remove the dyed cotton from the dye bath and allow excess liquid drip back into the dye bath. Then, gently place it in the iron mordant bath. Wearing rubber gloves, gently work the fibers in the mordant bath and make sure that they are fully submerged. Allow the fibers to steep in the mordant bath for 1 hour before turning on the heat. Stir them occasionally so they mordant evenly. Iron will complex (bond) to the tannins in walnut hull even at room temperature, and letting them bond without heat will help ensure an even, level dye job.
After 1 hour, turn on the heat and heat the mordant bath to 180°F. Hold this temperature for 30 minutes, stirring the fibers occasionally. This will fix the iron and finish saddening the cotton. After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the fibers to cool until they can safely be handled.
When finished steeping, remove the cotton with tongs and rinse well in warm water until the water runs clear. If necessary, wash with a pH-neutral detergent like Synthrapol. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for best results. CAUTION: Goods dyed with walnut hulls may bleed if not thoroughly rinsed.
Hang up to dry out of direct sunlight.
*Color swatches are for informational purposes only. The exact color of any dyed piece depends on a multitude of factors and cannot be guaranteed.
*All text and images are copyright of Shepherd Textiles, LLC. Do not reproduce without permission and attribution.