Browsing by Subject "bioväriaineet"

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to elucidate and describe the Finnish natural dyeing tradition. The research is interested in who natural dyers are, and how they dye. The study is also searching knowledge on what color sources dyers use, as well as how they have learned the skill and whether they share their knowledge with others. In addition, the study examines the significance of natural dyeing for dyers. It is important to study the topic because there is no previous research data on the tradition of natural dyeing in Finland. The theoretical background of the research focuses on natural colorants, natural dyeing, and the tradition of natural dyeing in Finland, and the concept of tradition. Methods. This is craft science research where folkloristics is adapted. The study material of which consists of a survey and thematic interviews. To the survey 35 responded 35 Finnish dyers and of them 26 was interviewed. The participants were Finnish natural dyers. The interview material was analyzed by using content analysis. Results and conclusions. The study found that typically, Finnish natural dyers are women over the age of 51 and they dye once a month or more often. The most widely used dyeing technique is boiling dyeing. The most commonly used mordants are alum and tartar. The most popular dyed materials are wool, cotton, silk and linen. Interviewees mentioned 37 different favorite color sources. Natural dyes are made for personal use, as a gift and for sale. Most of the respondents use dyed material for their own crafts, but they are also used for textile art and as material samples for teaching. The most common way for Finnish natural dyers to obtain color sources is to collect them from the nature. Information about natural dyeing is sought in books, journal articles and the Internet, but learning by experiment is also a common way to gain knowledge about nature dyeing. Communality and knowledge sharing are essential parts of the natural dyeing tradition. Also, Internet and smartphones include important sharing tools. Based on this research material it can be concluded that the transfer and sharing of dyeing information is an essential part of the natural dyeing tradition in Finland.