A Length of Safflower Dyed Bast Fiber Cloth: Holes and Wear

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
54 1/2" x 12 1/2", 138.5 cm x 32 cm

This is a length of hemp or ramie cloth that has been dyed in benibana or safflower dye. As can be easily seen this piece shows damage in the form of a line of fragmented loss along the left hand edge as well as in the form of ingrained dirt, fairly light in tone.

The joy in this piece is its color: the notoriously light fugitive safflower dye is still nicely saturated here.

Safflower dye can produce a wide range of color tones from a pale yellow to a tropical fuchsia like is seen here. It is the skill and knowledge of dyers that control the dyestuff to create these colors.

Although damaged this length is inspiration for natural dyers and also a great resource for those using natural dyed cloth in their craft or fashion projects.