Natural coloring

Last year, we had the pleasure of welcoming Maja, who runs @axelinas_manufaktur, and her colleague Anna-Maria. Both work as teachers in the Re:design program in Eskilstuna and are experts in both redesign and natural dyeing.

We had some painter’s pants that had been sitting on the shelf for a while, made from a white fabric in 100% cotton. Perfect for trying something new with dyeing in a simple way! Many dyes, especially natural ones, adhere better to cotton compared to synthetic fabrics, and colors appear more vibrant on light fabrics than on dark ones.

To create color, we used:

• Rust (including old rusty nails we found on various farms nearby)
• Eucalyptus leaves
• Turmeric
• Onion skins
• Black rice

The entire space was filled with pots, onion skins, and all sorts of natural dyeing materials. We dyed whole pants and experimented with Ecoprint—a technique that creates more of a "print" effect with localized color application.

We were especially fascinated by the results of the Ecoprint process. Eucalyptus leaves and rusty objects were rolled into the pants, which were then placed in a vinegar bath. We kept the pot warm for a few hours, then let the pants sit in the cooling water overnight.

Anna-Maria ties eucalyptus leaves into a pair of painter’s pants.

Eucalyptus and rust on the left, rust on the right, before the vinegar bath.

Anna-Maria folds eucalyptus leaves into the pants before a small fabric bundle was submerged in a vinegar bath. To the right, you can see a bath with turmeric and onion skins.

Each pair of pants developed its own unique character, making every piece truly one of a kind! Below, you can see how one of the pants turned out.