You can prepare the tools below for this presentation:

Don’t use your kitchen pot or other equipment for this - you need a separate set for natural dyeing. Look for cheap items in charity/thrift shops.

Thin silk fabric - I used ‘playsilks’ from Sarah’s Silks, but you can use any silk fabric, e.g. Search for “silk habotai off cut” on Etsy.

• Dark rose petals and onion skins - I used both red & yellow as they give different colours
• A large metal pot with a well-fitting lid
• Water - approx. a couple of inches at the bottom of your pot
• A heat source to boil the pot of water
• A glass bottle to wrap your fabric around
• A vegetable steaming insert to go inside the pot
• An extra piece of cotton fabric to wrap around the bottle and hold your silk in place. I cut a piece from an old sheet. It needs to be the same width as the bottle and large enough to wrap around a couple of times.
• String or ribbon to tie the fabric around the bottle - I cut up an old cotton bedsheet and made strips of ‘ribbon’.

For the mordanting:

• Alum - Aluminium potassium sulphate or Aluminium sulphate - available from various natural dye supply shops e.g. Wild Colours in the UK, Botanical Colors in the US.
• A large bowl to do the mordanting, or you can use your pot for this.
• A kettle to boil water
• A glass jar to dissolve the alum
• A spoon for stirring
• Gloves to protect your skin

Safety notes
Even though natural dyes are, of course, natural, there are still some safety considerations you need to take. This is not an exhaustive list so please also use your own judgement. Your safety is your responsibility.
When gathering any wild plants, take care when identifying them and if you need help, consult a reliable book or a knowledgeable friend. Remember that some plants are toxic, so only dye with plants that you can correctly identify.

Be extra cautious when children are helping with your projects. Use your own judgement.
Use a separate set of equipment reserved for dyeing – not your kitchen pot, vegetable steamer, spoon etc. This is because many dye plants aren't edible, and mordant powders certainly aren't edible. So you don't want to introduce potentially toxic ingredients to your kitchen pots and contaminate them. It's best practice to use a separate set of equipment.

When you are heating dye pots, make sure you have good airflow. Keep a window open and don't stand over a steaming pot and breathe in the vapour.

Wear gloves to protect your skin from dyes and mordants.

Wear thick gloves when opening steaming pots, as the steam can scald your wrists quickly.

Keep dyes away from children, pets and food.