Natural Colors in Romanian Folk Costume – Dyeing Threads with Traditional Plants

In Romania, until the appearance of industrial dyes + for a long time after their arrival, the threads used in the production of traditional textiles such as aprons, folk shirts, fote, carpets, blankets + other fabrics were dyed with colors extracted from plants. These processes have largely disappeared today, only a few village women still use plants to prepare dyes. Over time these plant-based dyes were replaced by chemical dyes bought from shops.

At first, the colors used were few, namely: white, black, black-brown, beautiful yellow (softer) + dark red. Later blue, lilac, as well as green appeared, obtained by combining yellow with blue. These colors were harsh + dark.

Later women took plants from nature which they boiled, mixed, added substances to fix them + thus revealed a wide range of pastel colors, for dyeing threads + fabrics of wool, hemp, silk etc. The dyeing recipes mostly consisted of plant decoctions which were fixed on fibers by adding color fixatives.

Natural colors were obtained from all parts of the plant: root, stem, tree bark, buds, leaves, flowers, fruits. Not only colors were obtained, but also different shades. Only freshly harvested material gave intense colors when dyeing. The exception was the bark of black alder (Alnus glutinosa) which had to be used 1 year after harvest.

In spring barks + peels were collected from trunks because they came off relatively easily. In summer fruits, leaves + flowers were collected, each plant having its optimal harvest moment, nothing was left to chance. In autumn roots used for dyeing were harvested. Thus spring colors were obtained (from barks + peels), summer colors (from fruits, leaves, flowers + herbaceous stems – rich + intense) + autumn colors (from roots – paler + less intense).

Dyeing Techniques + Fixatives Used

1. In a cauldron the raw material was placed, boiling water was added + it was left overnight in a warm room. The composition could already be used after one night.

2. Another method was to boil the plants + then put the fibers to macerate, after which they were boiled. The boiling time varied depending on what color you wanted to obtain, from 15–20 minutes to several hours. The duration of boiling actually determined the colors + shades. Sometimes to obtain different shades it was necessary to re-boil the threads.

The durability + intensity of the obtained color was determined by the quality of the materials used, their quantity, combinations with other plants, processing time (maceration or boiling). The longer the plants were boiled, the more the intensity of the color increased. After obtaining the desired shade by prolonging the boiling or adding other plant combinations, it was mandatory to fix the color. The best-known color fixatives are vinegar, salt, iron sulfate.

A. Yellow Color

1. Drobita (Genista tinctoria) – boiling branches with flowers + leaves, mixed with alum (Potassium alum), gave a lemon-yellow color. Fibers were left 12 hours in this solution, then rinsed in lye (from wood ash boiled in water).

2. Reddish yellow – by introducing the fibers first in bors (fermented bran water) + then in drobita essence.

3. Yellow from wild apple bark (Malus sylvestris), boiled + mixed with alum.

4. Yellow from drobita (Genista tinctoria) combined with wild apple bark (Malus sylvestris).

5. Willow buds (Salix) + alum – golden yellow. Willow leaves + bark of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) + alum – lemon yellow.

6. Willow branches (Salix) + purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) – darker yellow.

7. Birch leaves (Betula) collected in autumn, dried + crushed + alum – sun-resistant yellow.

8. Birch bark (Betula) boiled in sour bors – dark yellow.

9. Fermented tobacco leaves (Nicotiana tabacum) + alum – oil-yellow.

10. Black alder bark (Alnus glutinosa) – brick-yellow.

11. Spurge or milkweed (Euphorbia) + alum – wax-yellow or greenish-yellow. Other sources: mulberry leaves (Morus nigra), cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), pear bark (Pyrus communis), elder leaves (Sambucus nigra), onion peels (Allium cepa), dock roots (Rumex patientia), St. John’s wort flowers (Hypericum perforatum), grapevine leaves (Vitis vinifera), nettle (Urtica dioica), mistletoe (Viscum album), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), crocus flowers (Crocus

             Genista tinctoria – natural source of yellow color for traditional Romanian textiles.

B. Orange

Threads boiled first in bors + then introduced in the dye from point 6 (willow + purple loosestrife) + washed with lye gave orange.

C. Blue Color

1. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) + alum + lye + greasy water (first wool washing water) + bors – blue tones.

2. Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) + whey + alum + lye – beautiful blue.

3. Squill flowers (Scilla bifolia) + alum – light blue.

4. Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) + spring crocus (Crocus) + whey, fixed with vinegar, salt or iron sulfate, as well as thyme leaves (Thymus serpyllum), black mulberries (Morus nigra), elderberries (Sambucus) – intense blue.

D. Green Color

1. Birch leaves (Betula) + alum or cranberry (Oxycoccus quadripetalus) + greasy water – green.

2. Drobita (Genista tinctoria) + woad (Isatis tinctoria) + bors – beautiful green.

3. Walnut leaves (Juglans regia) + alder bark (Alnus) + alum – olive green.

4. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) + drobita (Genista tinctoria) + alum + greasy water – light green.

5. Green obtained by combining yellow-producing plants with blue-producing plants + stabilized with salt, vinegar or iron sulfate.

E. Red Color

1. Wild apple leaves + flowers (Malus sylvestris) – light red to dark red.

2. Sour apple bark (Malus sylvestris) + oregano (Origanum vulgare) – blood-red. With lye – dark red.

3. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) + cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) + wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) – beautiful red.

4. Madder roots (Rubia tinctorum) + bors + alum – intense red.

5. Plum bark (Prunus domestica) + lye + alder (Alnus) + oregano – varied red shades.

6. Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) + alum – rose-red.

7. Pokeweed (Phytolacca decandra) + tin + strong water (nitric acid) – fiery red.

8. Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) + oregano (Origanum vulgare) + pokeweed (Phytolacca decandra) + nitric acid + tin – light crimson or dark cherry-red.

Traditional Romanian handwoven towel, made from fibers dyed in village households in red and black.

With time, the red has naturally faded to pink, adding antique charm. Available now on GreatBlouses.com.

F. Black Color

1. Alder (Alnus glutinosa) + iron sulfate, alone or with alum + salt – black.

2. Green walnut peel (Juglans regia) + iron sulfate or lye – beautiful black.

3. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) + alder (Alnus glutinosa) + lye + iron sulfate – pure black.

4. Dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus), elder (Sambucus nigra), cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), oak (Quercus robur), cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) – varied blacks.

Traditional Romanian skirt from Muscel, dyed black with natural plant-based colors and decorated with metallic thread embroidery.

Currently available on GreatBlouses.com.

G. Brown Color

1. Walnut leaves (Juglans regia) + dock (Rumex patientia) + alum – sun-resistant brown.

2. Green walnut peel (Juglans regia) + bors + alum – beautiful brown.

These natural colors, obtained with patience + skill from plants, enriched the Romanian folk costume for centuries. They remain a living testimony of the close connection between people + nature, preserving the authenticity + beauty of traditional textiles.

Adapted text after Ecaterina Tomida – The stitches and embroideries of the Romanian folk costume