Going wild with tartan design -- native natural dyes in New England?

[Tim Little]

Recently I've been thinking a bit about the origins of tartan and how -- not surprisingly -- regional/clan tartans were differentiated not only by pattern, but also by the natural dyes that were available in a given location.

That prompted me to wonder a bit about district tartans here in the US. It seems to me as though colors are chosen for their symbolism -- such as in the Bay State tartan shown below -- rather than for their natural connection to the land.

Massachusetts: The Bay State Tartan
Official District Tartan of Massachusetts



Designed by John Austin ~ Bolton, Massachusetts

Approved by The Massachusetts House of Representatives on May 1, 2003
Approved by the Massachusetts State Senate on May 8, 2003
Approved by Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on May 16, 2003

Description

Blues: The Atlantic Ocean and all the Reservoirs, Rivers, and Ponds
Green: The Boston Hills, Worcester Hills, and the Berkshire Mountains
Tans: The long beach line, from the North Shore to the South Shore; Cape Cod, the Islands, and Buzzards Bay
Red: The apple and cranberry harvests

This subsequently got me to wondering what plants (or other sources of pigment) might be suitable if one wanted to design a district tartan -- for example, a new Massachusetts tartan -- using natural dyes that are native to the region. (I'd imagine you could get a very nice red from cranberries!)

I don't know anything about plants, dyeing, textiles, or local Native American culture (which would presumably be a good source of information), but figure X Marks is a such a great knowledge base, somone here must have some suggestions: What plants are indigenous to the region that might be suitable for dyeing wool for tartan? What sort of color palette would you wind up with?

[Kilted in Maine]

Maybe a walk through a local farmer's market could give you some inspiration.

A couple from New England that come to mind are blueberries and pumpkins

[macwilkin]

This subsequently got me to wondering what plants (or other sources of pigment) might be suitable if one wanted to design a district tartan -- for example, a new Massachusetts tartan -- using natural dyes that are native to the region. (I'd imagine you could get a very nice red from cranberries!)

An excellent question and discussion starter, Tim!

One of the ideas I had for a tartan for the Ozarks was using natural colors from various plants associated with the region, such as the Osage Orange tree, Pokeberries and Black Walnuts or "Butternut", all of which were well-known to the early Ulster-Scots settlers of the Ozarks.

Regards,

Todd

[Tim Little]

One of the ideas I had for a tartan for the Ozarks was using natural colors from various plants associated with the region, such as the Osage Orange tree, Pokeberries and Black Walnuts or "Butternut", all of which were well-known to the early Ulster-Scots settlers of the Ozarks.

Sounds great, Todd; how far have you gotten with this?

[macwilkin]

Sounds great, Todd; how far have you gotten with this?

Not very, I'm sad to say. I've been working on a tartan for Missouri with some folks in the Warrensburg area, but I haven't heard from them for a while.

Todd

[Tim Little]

Found this University of Michigan site, although it's obviously only a starting point.

[tulloch]

I'd go right to Old Sturbridge Village and ask them. They dye a lot in the summer there using natural dyes and I think the colors I have seen there could get a nice range of tartan colors. By the way; a nice saffron color can be gotten from onion skins from what I remember. I have not checked their website - just recollecting many, many times at the Village in the past 45 years. Would be fun to follow this and see what we can find.

[Tim Little]

I'd go right to Old Sturbridge Village and ask them. They dye a lot in the summer there using natural dyes and I think the colors I have seen there could get a nice range of tartan colors. By the way; a nice saffron color can be gotten from onion skins from what I remember. I have not checked their website - just recollecting many, many times at the Village in the past 45 years. Would be fun to follow this and see what we can find.

Doh! I suppose I should have thought of OSV. Plimoth Plantation would probably be a good resource, too -- particuarly for the Native American perspective.

[macwilkin]

You might also try the Amana Woolen Mill in Amana, Iowa, since 1857:

http://www.amanawoolenmill.com/

Regards,

Todd

[Kilted in Maine]

Doh! I suppose I should have thought of OSV. Plimoth Plantation would probably be a good resource, too -- particuarly for the Native American perspective.

Here you go...


http://www.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/category/dyeing/

http://www.eatonhilltextiles.com/