NATURAL DYING WITH COCHINEAL

Cochineal bugs have been used as a red dye for thousands of years. They are mainly found in South American and a bit of lower North America (like Texas). They are found a few other places in the world too. They love the juices from the prickly pear cactus. They have a special red pigment from them that protects them from predators. It has been used for centuries to dye textiles, but it is also used to create the E120 and Natural Red 4 in food coloring and cosmetics. If you look in the ingredients, you will find that cochineal is used in many items you may consume, such as soft drinks, candy, wine, ketchup, soup, and more. It is also commonly used by many cosmetic brands. For this project, I ordered cochineal in full bug form.

You will need to grind the bugs in a mortar and pestle.

You will need to pre-soak the fabric in a mordant. I used Alum.

Cochineal is very pH reactive. Here it is with nothing added to it.

You can add iron or cream of tartar. Iron will turn the hue a purple-pinkish color. Cream of tartar is supposed to make the hue change to an even brighter red. I added two tablespoons of cream of tartar.

As soon as I placed the fabric into the dye bath, they turned so bright! So exciting! I left to soak for about six hours on low heat.

Here they are after I took them out of the dye bath, rinsed with water, and hung to dry. Be careful - this dye is very strong and will dye your hands / bathtub (haha). I hung in the shower to dry (away from the sunlight).

Ta-da! After drying, they ended up being a coral-y color. I like them! They will fade some with each wash. Have you dyed with cochineal before? I’d love to hear about it!