Eco Printing in the 'Dirty Pot'

Achieve Beautiful Red Prints

from Eucalyptus Leaves -
even as a Total Beginner

FREE ECO PRINTING GUIDE

 What's inside

03 Welcome - Meet Nicola

04 Read what others say about learning with Nicola

05 Why eco print with eucalyptus vegetation?

06 Which varieties give consistently good prints!?

07 E. parvula

08 E. nichollii

09 E. cordata and E. gunnii

10 E. gunnii 'Azura'

11 The basics of the 'Dirty Pot' eco printing process

15 Eco printing checklist

17 What next to fast track your success?

 WELCOME

Welcome to the Red Giving Eucalyptus in the 'Dirty

Pot' guide. This is your invitation to embrace a new
way of transforming fabric and old clothes using
the power of nature and the eco printing process.

In this guide, I cut to the basics and answer many of

the top questions that prevent people even get
started or help them overcome a previous
unsuccessful printing experience. I share no
nonsense advice to help you create beautiful prints
and a wardrobe full of fun clothes that you can be
proud of, even if you are a total beginner!

Meet Nicola

Three words describe Nicola Brown’s textile practice; simple, natural, crafted. She
harnesses the natural dye in leaves, onion skins, seed pods, and bark to create lasting prints
and colour on fabric and garments. This is achieved in a health conscious and
environmentally mindful way without using any harsh powdered chemicals.

Since starting to develop a more sustainable way of working, Nicola has planted over
13,500 trees on her property and laid out large dye borders. These support a diverse
selection of butterflies, insects, birds, and mammals which help convey the wider
ecological aspect of her practice.

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 3

Read what others say about learning with Nicola

I have been a stitcher, spinner, weaver, felter, and natural dyer since childhood and learned
eco-printing around 6 years ago. I worked out how to dye fabric using natural mordants,
and was keen to ditch the powdered mordants for eco printing, though I never did work
out how to do it. I found my way to Nicola Brown’s Dirty Pot method via her *free* YouTube
videos, bought her e-book, and haven’t looked back. Nicola is a great teacher, her videos
are clear and easy to follow, and she even comes back to answer questions left in the
comments. The Facebook group that she runs is wonderful, an international collection of
talented people sharing ideas, triumphs, and encouragement. Nicola gifts so much and
inspires so many (and the technique really works)!
Ros Kellock, County Durham, England

I love working with the dirty pot
technique. It has brought a richness to the
dyeing process. There is nuance and
depth to dirty pot dyeing that is unique. I
love the complexity of the finished pieces
and the process of the work itself is a
meditation.
One of my favorite things is saving clothes
from landfills, honestly. Creating and
moving these pieces on to another life
feels really valuable. It is something I can
do to help our world.
Laura Mead
I had been using local ochres to make my
own oil paints and eco dyeing seemed like
the natural next step. It changed my art
practice completely. I have my clothing
which people buy, I use the method to
create new art and I teach people how
easy it is to be creative. It’s an art form that
anyone can do and it’s perfect for bringing
people together. It is also therapeutic and
can help with depression and loneliness in
a small community.
Rhondda Scott
READY? LET'S GO!

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 4

 Why Eco Print with
Eucalyptus Leaves & Bark?

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 5

 Why is Eucalyptus Vegetation so good to use?

All parts of the eucalyptus tree provides wonderful vegetation for eco printers.

The natural dye released is substantive, in simple terms this means that no traditional
powdered mordants (chemicals) are necessary to fix it on the fabric.

When it comes to eco printing, it's possible to use the leaves, bark, flower buds and seed
pods as each of these parts of the tree releases its own special dye. Protein fabrics such
as wool, cashmere or silk absorb the brightest red colours but various shades of reddish
brown and black may be achieved on cellulose.fabric such as linen, hemp or cotton too.

Which varieties give consistently good prints?

Since starting to eco print, I've planted a collection of different eucalyptus varieties at
Clasheen which are hardy to approximately -14C. Currently I have roughly 900 eucalypts as
well as over 12500 broadleaved trees and nothing gives me more pleasure than harvesting
foliage which I have grown myself to use in the studio.

When I first became interested in their wonderful red giving properties however, I didn't
have access to any fresh eucalyptus trees so needed to think of another way to get leaves.
E. cinerea (Silver Dollar) and E. lunata (Moon Lagoon) may often be found in floral
bouquets so do check your nearest florist and see what they have in stock.

Not all eucalypts give red prints but the following varieties give me great results when
boiled for approximately 2.5 hours; E. nitens, E. parvula (formerly parvula), E subcrenulata, E
cordata, E. gunnii, E. pulverulenta 'Baby Blue' and E gunnii 'Azura'.

E. archeri usually prints a golden brown after 2.5 hours, following heavy rain it releases
more green and purple colours. Many other varieties may need between 4 and 5 hours
processing before they give their best colour and please note, this might not be red!
Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 6
 E. Parvula (formerly E. parvifolia)

E. parvula leaves (formerly known as E.

parvifolia), give excellent reds after 2.5 hours in a
boiling pot. The tree is small, slow growing and
hardy to between -14 and -16 degrees celcius!

In the image below you can see how crisp and

bright the leaf prints are on wool processed in a
cast iron 'dirty pot'. The golden brown prints are
from eucalyptus bark.

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 7

 E. nichollii

Long thin E. nichollii leaves give

wonderful red when processed for
2. 5 hours or longer. However, I
suspect that the trees are not so
hardy, are fairly slow growing and
susceptible to wind.

In the image below you can see

their prints on a felt wall hanging
that was processed in an
aluminium pot.

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 8

 E. cordata and E. gunnii

I adore using E. cordata leaves and

often store them dry. To
reconstitute, just soak them
overnight in plain water so that
they are soft and flexible.

In the image on the left you can see

their round prints on felt that was
processed in an aluminium 'pot.
The long prints are E. nichollii.

In the image on the right you can

see E. gunnii prints on wool that was
processed in a cast iron pot.

This was my first time using leaves

from newly planted trees so I"m sure
you can understand how happy this
colour made me feel!

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 9

 E. gunnii, named variety 'Azura'

E. gunnii, named variety 'Azura' is a

lovely small tree well suited to the
smaller garden. I find that it's
relatively slow growing and the
shape of the leaves is very nice.

In the image below you can see

their round prints on felt that was
processed in an aluminium 'dirty
pot'. The long prints are E. nichollii.

PRO TIP - One note of caution

in relation to eucalypts, please
don't confuse juvenile foliage
from one variety with older
foliage from another as they
can appear very similar!

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 10

The Eco Printing in the
'Dirty Pot' Process

Please be mindful of Health & Safety when eco printing. Wear sensible clothing including
footwear, don't let children near the pot or heat source and wear a mask if necessary. You
should work in a well ventilated space and I encourage you to check out this video for tips.

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 11

 The basics of the 'Dirty Pot' process!

Here is a simple step-by-step tutorial so that you can achieve

successful results, even if this is your very first time eco printing!

Please read the full tutorial before starting and don't be tempted to add any vegetation
other than eucalyptus or onion skins to your pot. I am keeping this simple. If you want a
deep dive you should check out my Eco Printing in the 'Dirty Pot' eBook

Wash your garments or fabric using a gentle olive oil soap or similar, not detergent
The day before printing pop them into a tub of water and soak them overnight
If you are printing protein fabric squeeze out the excess soaking water and stretch
your piece on a table
Sprinkle it with vinegar, any will do
If you are printing cellulose fabric give it a 40 second soak in home made rust water
just before you bundle it then squeeze the excess rust water out. Please note that it
will look dirty at this stage! Click here to watch a video about preparing rust water
Now is the fun part, laying out your vegetation! I recommend that if you are working
on protein fabrics you stick to onion skins and/or optional eucalyptus leaves for your
first eco printing session. You can also try rose or blackberry leaves for good results.
All of these should print well on cellulose fabric but onion skins will not look as
vibrant as when printed on protein
Roll up your bundle VERY tightly ensuring that the vegetation makes good contact
with the fabric. If your piece is quite wide or large you might find it position your
vegetation down the length then fold in the sides to make a smaller package
You can use a metal pipe (copper or iron) as a core, a cardboard tube or nothing, just
roll the fabric up on itself
Don’t waste time fussing if the vegetation shifts a little as you roll, I used to but
discovered it was just a waste of energy and time re-rolling!
Tie the bundle as tightly as possible using string. I find that t-shirt yarn, strong garden
twine or cotton string is good for this, natural un-dyed is best

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 12

 The basics of the 'Dirty Pot' process!

While you’re preparing the bundles bring your 'dirty pot' to the boil. It's important to
understand that you should use separate pots for eco printing and cooking, not one that
you intend preparing food in again. Click here to watch my video about how to set up
your first 'dirty pot' if you are unsure of the steps. You don't need to add any eucalyptus
leaves or onion skins to the pot but if you do, expect more dramatic results! Do add rusty
metal.

Pop the tightly rolled and tied bundles into the boiling pot and make sure that they
are covered completely by the liquid. Top it up with water if you think it needs more
If you have any onion skins or eucalyptus leaves left over you can add them to the
pot now for enhanced colour to the background of your pieces
My top tip for the heating process is boil, boil, boil! I used to be frightened that this
was bad for the fabric but so long as you don’t stir it too often and make sure the pot
liquid doesn’t evaporate too much all will be well. Trust me on this.
Boil for approximately 2.5 hours if you have any of the eucalyptus leaves that I
recommend in the bundles, 2 is good if you are using onion skins by themselves
After the processing time has elapsed remove the bundles from the still bubbling
water immediately, a tongs are handy for this so you don’t burn yourself
Now for the BEST PART of the 'dirty pot' process, the unbundling. .Cut the string
carefully being sure not to snip the fabric and unroll the bundle. Many people like to
wait overnight or even for days, I’ve experimented quite a bit without seeing much
variation in results and to be quite honest who wants to wait?
To finish your pieces, wash them thoroughly in warm water and gentle soap making
sure to do so until the water runs totally clear. Any colour that appears to be
vanishing is natural dye that the fabric has not absorbed so don't panic. NOTE If you
rolled your bundles up on an iron pipe I also recommend a 15 minute soak in water
with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda or bread soda BEFORE the final wash
Squeeze dry then iron both sides of the fabric straight away on the hottest setting of
your iron, trust me with this! Stretch to shape then dry flat
Admire and enjoy your beautiful eco printed fabric!

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 13

 The basics of the 'Dirty Pot' process!

While you’re preparing the bundles bring your 'dirty pot' to the boil. It's important to
understand that you should use separate pots for eco printing and cooking, not one that
you intend preparing food in again. Click here to watch my video about how to set up
your first 'dirty pot' if you are unsure of the steps. You don't need to add any eucalyptus
leaves or onion skins to the pot but if you do, expect more dramatic results! Do add rusty
metal.

Pop the tightly rolled and tied bundles into the boiling pot and make sure that they
are covered completely by the liquid. Top it up with water if you think it needs more
If you have any onion skins or eucalyptus leaves left over you can add them to the
pot now for enhanced colour to the background of your pieces
My top tip for the heating process is boil, boil, boil! I used to be frightened that this
was bad for the fabric but so long as you don’t stir it too often and make sure the pot
liquid doesn’t evaporate too much all will be well. Trust me on this.
Boil for approximately 2.5 hours if you have any of the eucalyptus leaves that I
recommend in the bundles, 2 is good if you are using onion skins by themselves
After the processing time has elapsed remove the bundles from the still bubbling
water immediately, a tongs are handy for this so you don’t burn yourself
Now for the BEST PART of the 'dirty pot' process, the unbundling. .Cut the string
carefully being sure not to snip the fabric and unroll the bundle. Many people like to
wait overnight or even for days, I’ve experimented quite a bit without seeing much
variation in results and to be quite honest who wants to wait?
To finish your pieces, wash them thoroughly in warm water and gentle soap making
sure to do so until the water runs totally clear. Any colour that appears to be
vanishing is natural dye that the fabric has not absorbed so don't panic. NOTE If you
rolled your bundles up on an iron pipe I also recommend a 15 minute soak in water
with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda or bread soda BEFORE the final wash
Squeeze dry then iron both sides of the fabric straight away on the hottest setting of
your iron, trust me with this! Stretch to shape then dry flat
Admire and enjoy your beautiful eco printed fabric!

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 14

Eco Printing in the ‘Dirty
Pot’ Checklist -
Ingredients for Success!

Dedicated pot, aluminium is best

Vegetation - eucalyptus and onion skins

Fabric - washed and soaked overnight

Heat source

Vinegar

Scissors, string, towels, buckets

Metal, wood or cardboard tubes

TIME to enjoy the printing process

Old clothes

Sensible footwear

Camera - take plenty of pictures!

Optional gloves and mask

Rust water if printing cellulose fabric

 Notes

Supplies that I already have - supplies that I need to source

Copyright © Nicola Brown 2023 16

 Would you like to Fast Track your
Success Working in the 'Dirty Pot'?

Check out this message from Nicola!

If you have enjoyed my Red Giving Eucalyptus Guide and are interested in
learning more about eco printing in the 'dirty pot', did you know that I have
written a very comprehensive eBook just to help you’?

My biggest goal was to set out a clear, step-by-step process that anyone could
follow, regardless of their previous textile related experience. I wanted to cut
through the mass of information online, give people the confidence to just
get going and and help them achieve fantastic results, right from the start!

Learn more about the Eco Printing in the 'Dirty Pot' eBook
17
 Subscribe to my YouTube channel
for regular tips, tutorials and updates
from my studio in rural Ireland!

Nicola Brown on YouTube