sun kissed dyeing with amaranth

mason jar in the prettiest colors

A weekend harvest from the few rows of amaranth gave me lots of seeds and flowers for this project. Amaranthus, or Amaranth comes from the Greek word which means non-fading, as its flowers heads last a long time. It is grown for its grain, vegetable and for dyeing. The seeds are eaten like grains, as they are nutritious, and the leaves are edible.

Amaranth is a tall and showy plant with it densely packed clusters of red flaming flowers; it attracts birds and bees to the garden. Once you planted this in your garden, you will be sure to have it popping up each year, as it reseeds itself.

flaming clusters of red flowers ready for harvest

black seeds from the flowers

filled jar with alum and flowers–vibrant red color

just after a day in the summer heat, a delightful crimson red color.

It’s been a week since the jar was left outside in the sun and thought today would be a good day to open it. Here are the results, and I am jolly happy!

fushcia pink color after a week’s in the sun

L-R: purplish pink on muslin, and light fuschia on silk

two fabrics displayed in a rosette (middle piece is silk, and outer piece is muslin

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“A smile is worth a thousand words, live happy, dye happily.”