After updating my sewing binder with a new quilted cover and planning pages, I decided that my natural dyeing records needed the same attention. Natural dyeing involves many connected steps and variables. I am often preparing fabric, calculating quantities and choosing dyestuffs, tannins, mordants and modifiers. A single dye bath can produce process notes, measurements, photographs, observations and fabric samples that I may want to revisit months later.
Until now, I recorded everything in an ordinary notebook. As my practice grew, the notes became difficult to navigate and loose swatches became separated from the information behind them. It was no longer easy to identify which dyestuff had produced a particular colour, how the fabric had been prepared or why two similar-looking samples had developed differently.
I have now turned the useful parts of that notebook system into a set of printable planner pages. Each fabric-preparation batch and dye session receives a short reference number, and the same session number appears beneath the corresponding fabric swatch. This keeps the information under each swatch brief while allowing me to find the complete process whenever I need it.
The system follows the same stages covered in my Natural Dyeing Guides and Resources, but its purpose is different. The guides explain how natural dyeing works. The binder gives me a physical place to record what I have actually done.
In this article, I will show you how I organise the system, what is included in the free Natural Dyeing Planner Starter Pack and how I adapted my existing binder-cover pattern to create a nine-patch cover made from naturally dyed fabrics.
A Natural Dye Binder Can Start Small
I am not interested in making a complicated system simply for the sake of having one. If I have to record more information than I am likely to use, I will quickly lose interest and stop keeping up with it.
My basic sequence is:
Dyeing idea → fabric preparation → dye session → swatch card → review or repeat
None of these steps is compulsory. The fabric may already be prepared, and a casual experiment might only need a few notes and a labelled swatch. The binder is there to preserve information that will genuinely help me later. It should not turn natural dyeing into an administrative task.
When I prepare a batch of fabric, I give the preparation record a simple ID, such as P-01. A later dye session might be labelled DS-04. I write P-01 on the dye-session record, then add DS-04 beneath the corresponding finished swatch on the dyestuff card.
This creates a straightforward chain:
Preparation P-01 → Dye session DS-04 → Swatch labelled DS-04
The exact numbering system does not matter. It only needs to be simple enough to use consistently and clear enough to lead back to the correct information.
Download the Free Natural Dyeing Planner Starter Pack
The pack includes the core pages I use to plan dye sessions, record fabric preparation and dyeing, attach swatches and keep flexible notes.
What Is Included in the Natural Dyeing Planner Starter Pack
The starter pack contains nine printable pages. Certain pages are intended to be printed once as references, while working records and notes can be printed whenever they are needed.
Printing and Using the Pages
The first page explains the suggested workflow, how the reference numbers connect and which paper to use.
Ordinary working pages can be printed on 80 to 100 gsm paper. The swatch card is designed for heavier paper or cardstock because it will hold twelve pieces of fabric.
If your printer cannot handle approximately 180 to 220 gsm cardstock, print the two sides separately on ordinary paper and mount them onto cardstock. The card can also be printed directly on suitable heavier paper using the double-sided setting and Flip on long edge.
I always test the orientation on an ordinary sheet before using cardstock. This catches alignment and printing-direction problems without wasting the heavier paper.
Dyeing Ideas
The Dyeing Ideas page gives possible sessions somewhere to wait before I begin preparing materials. It records:
- the idea or desired result;
- dyestuff or material;
- fabric;
- preparation or next action;
- current status;
- materials to gather;
- notes and sources.
The status options are deliberately simple: Idea, Gathering, Ready and Done. A possible dye bath does not need a complete recipe while it is still only an idea.
Fabric Preparation Record
The Fabric Preparation Record keeps the details of one prepared batch together. I can record scouring, tannin treatment, mordanting, soy milk or another binder, along with any additional stage that matters for that fabric.
The record includes the material used, amount or percentage WOF, method, time and temperature. It also notes whether curing is required and when the fabric will be ready to dye.
If several dye sessions use fabric from the same prepared batch, they can all refer back to the same Preparation ID. This avoids rewriting an identical preparation process on every dye-session page.
If you want more information about plant-based preparation materials, my guide to tannins and biomordants in natural dyeing explains how these materials are used and where their limitations lie.
Quick Dye Session Record
The Quick Dye Session Record holds the essential details of one dye bath:
- session ID and dates;
- fabric, fibre and WOF;
- related Preparation ID;
- dyestuff, source, quantity and percentage WOF;
- extraction method, time and temperature;
- dyeing method, time and temperature;
- modifier and modifier percentage;
- cooling or resting;
- final washing and drying;
- final colour and general result;
- what worked and what I would change next time.
There is room for session-specific and process notes without turning the page into an exhaustive laboratory form. The result checkboxes provide a quick description, such as even, patchy or streaked, pale or weak, deep or saturated, dull or muddy, or an unexpected colour shift.
Many parts of a dye session can affect the finished result. My article on the seven variables that affect natural dye colour explains why the plant material, water, fibre preparation, temperature, time, mordant and modifiers are worth tracking.
For a more detailed explanation of how written records become repeatable recipes, read How to Keep Natural Dye Records and Make Useful Recipes. That article concentrates on what to record during dyeing. This one focuses on how the physical pages and fabric swatches fit together.
Double-Sided Dyestuff Swatch Card
The swatch card is the physical centre of the starter pack. The front has space for twelve fabric samples and a compact profile of one dyestuff:
- common name;
- botanical name and family;
- habitat or growing notes;
- parts used;
- general colour range;
- fibre and mordant notes;
- colourfastness notes.
Each swatch position has a small set of details underneath it: Session ID, percentage WOF, mordant, tannin and modifier.
I attach only the upper edge of the fabric. Lifting the swatch reveals the information underneath, while the complete recipe and process remain on the corresponding dye-session record.
The reverse is intentionally more open. It contains space for sourcing and preparation notes, a botanical drawing or identification reference, extraction and dyeing observations, and related sources. Most of these sections use a dot grid, allowing the card to accommodate writing, sketches, photographs or additional samples.
WOF, Scaling and Conversions
The reference page explains percentage WOF, shows frequently used quantities for several fabric weights and includes a simple method for scaling an existing recipe. Weight, volume and temperature conversions are kept on the same page.
This is a quick reference instead of another calculation form. The actual WOF and quantities remain on the preparation or dye-session record where they belong.
Natural Dyeing Notes and Graph Paper
The final two pages provide flexible space for information that does not fit neatly into a form.
The dot-grid page can hold calculations, observations, sketches or notes from books and other sources. The graph paper uses small squares with stronger lines marking groups of five. It does not impose a fixed scale. One square can represent whichever measurement is useful for the drawing, layout or comparison being planned.
How I Build the Swatch Library
My main swatch library is organised by dyestuff. When I open a card for onion skins, pomegranate peel or avocado, I can see the colours that material has produced under different preparations and treatments.
This arrangement suits the way I work because I am usually interested in the range available from one dye material. More controlled tannin, mordant, modifier and colourfastness comparisons can be added as separate sections later, but they are not necessary for the starter binder.
If you are choosing the first materials to document, my comparison of reliable natural dye materials for beginners is a useful place to start.
Choosing the Swatches
I do not need to keep every offcut from every dye bath. I select samples that show something useful: a successful colour, a different preparation, a modifier shift, unevenness I want to understand or a result I may want to avoid.
The printed swatch areas in the starter pack are 4 × 6 cm. A swatch cut to that size covers its identifying details and can be lifted when I need to read them. If a useful sample is smaller, I can still attach it and leave part of the printed area visible.
Larger remnants can remain with the stored fabric or be used in sewing. The card is a reference, not a complete archive of every dyed piece.
Attaching the Fabric
For these cards, the simplest attachment method is a narrow strip of double-sided tape or a small amount of suitable adhesive placed along the upper edge. The fabric must remain loose below that attachment so it can be lifted.
I test adhesives on an unimportant offcut first. I have seen glue affect naturally dyed fabric, and certain tapes may stain, harden or lose adhesion as they age.
A few loose stitches are a more reversible option for an especially important sample. Whatever method I use, the fabric must be clean and completely dry before it is filed.
Keep Unexpected Results
A swatch does not need to be beautiful to be useful. Pale colours, patchy fabric and unexpected shifts can help me decide what to change or which combinations not to repeat.
I avoid assigning a definite cause when several variables changed during the same session. I record what I observed and use that information to plan a clearer comparison later.
Making the Nine-Patch Natural Dye Binder Cover
The cover shown here is a variation of my existing Binder Cover & Organiser pattern. The original version uses sawtooth-star blocks on the outside. For the natural dye binder, I replaced that exterior design with a simple nine-patch composition made from fabrics dyed with recipes from my book, Dyeing with Kitchen Scraps.
The nine blocks allow the colours to remain visible and make the cover achievable with relatively small pieces of dyed fabric. They also turn the outside into a compact record of the kitchen-scrap dyes I have used.
The underlying binder measurements, pockets and general construction come from the original pattern. You can see how the pattern and sewing-planner system work together in How to Build a Sewing Project Binder.
The Naturally Dyed Cover Top
The exterior is divided into nine blocks in different colours. All the cover-top fabrics were naturally dyed using methods from Dyeing with Kitchen Scraps. I quilted the assembled top with a design created for the nine-patch layout instead of following the quilting lines used for the sawtooth-star version.
The underlying binder-cover dimensions and construction remain the same as in the original pattern. The changes are limited to:
- the design and assembly of the exterior quilt top;
- the quilting layout;
- omission of the hook clasp;
- omission of the hanging-loop ring;
- binding the outer raw edges instead of sewing the cover right sides together and turning it through.
I made each nine-patch block from nine 5 × 5 cm squares, using a 0.5 cm seam allowance throughout. Begin by arranging all nine squares in three rows. I used two colours in each block, but you can use as many colours as you like. Sew the three squares in the top row together, then repeat with the middle and bottom rows. Join the three completed rows to finish the block. Make 15 blocks in total, then arrange them in three rows of five and sew them together to form the complete cover panel. Once assembled, choose a quilting design that suits the patchwork. I hand quilted mine with simple diagonal lines that cross to form diamonds, using naturally dyed perle cotton thread.
Naturally Dyed Interior Pockets
Inside, I kept the practical pocket arrangement from the original binder cover. The inside pockets and sawtooth-star pocket are made from naturally dyed fabrics, so the original star design still appears as a smaller detail when the binder is opened.
The lining and binding are made from a reclaimed light-blue shirt. The softer blue works with the naturally dyed colours without competing with them, and the shirt provided a large enough section of fabric for the lining and binding.
For this variation, I left out the hook clasp and hanging-loop ring. They were not necessary for the way I plan to use this binder, and removing them keeps the inside simpler.
Binding the Cover Instead of Turning It
The original sewing-journal cover is assembled by sewing the exterior and lining right sides together and turning the piece through. For this variation, I layered the exterior, structure and lining, then bound the raw perimeter. Binding works particularly well here because it frames the nine-patch exterior and repeats the light-blue shirt fabric used inside.
Follow the original pattern for the binder measurements, pockets and general construction sequence. At the final assembly stage, bind the perimeter instead of completing the sewn-and-turned finish.I used approximately 120 cm of binding, cut 6 cm wide before folding. Following the pattern, I attached it with a 1 cm seam allowance, then trimmed the seam allowance to 0.5 cm to reduce bulk. Finally, I folded the binding over the raw edge and hand stitched it in place on the other side.
Make the Natural Dye Binder Cover
Start with the Binder Cover & Organiser pattern, then replace the sawtooth-star exterior with the nine-patch layout and use a bound finish around the perimeter.
GET THE FREE BINDER-COVER PATTERN
Using Naturally Dyed Fabric in a Working Binder
A binder cover is handled regularly, so I choose dyed fabrics with enough strength and stability for quilting and repeated use. Before cutting, I also check how the fabric responds to pressing and whether the colour is suitable for an item that will be handled frequently.
My guide to sewing with naturally dyed fabric covers the checks I make before cutting, pressing and stitching plant-dyed cloth.
I keep the finished binder away from strong direct light, dust and damp. This helps protect both the cover and the swatches inside. Natural dyes will still change with use and time, but sensible storage reduces unnecessary exposure. You can find more detailed guidance in Caring for Naturally Dyed Fabrics.
Making the cover from fabric I dyed myself is especially satisfying. Colours that began as kitchen scraps now form an object I use to plan new dye sessions and preserve their results. The cover connects the record-keeping system with the dyed fabrics it documents.
Start with the Pages You Need
The starter pack is not intended to prescribe one complete filing system. You can use the pages in a ring binder, keep them in a folder or print only the individual records needed for a current dye session.
To begin, I would print:
- one Fabric Preparation Record;
- one Quick Dye Session Record;
- the front and back of one Dyestuff Swatch Card;
- the WOF, Scaling and Conversions reference page.
The Dyeing Ideas, notes and graph pages can be added when they become useful. Each working page has a blank page field, so repeated copies can be numbered according to your own filing system.
As the binder grows, it can gain separate comparison, colourfastness, foraging or inventory sections. Those additions should solve a real need instead of creating more information to maintain.
A Practical Record of the Colours I Have Made
The most useful natural dye binder is one I will continue to use. One preparation reference, one dye-session ID and one labelled swatch already create a record I can find again. The free starter pack provides that core structure without asking me to document every possible variable. The nine-patch cover gives small pieces of naturally dyed fabric a practical place in the studio.
Together, the pages and cover make the binder a working reference and a physical collection of the colours I have produced.
Start Your Natural Dye Binder
Print the pages you need, create your first preparation and session references, and begin the swatch library with one dyestuff card.
GET THE FREE NATURAL DYE PLANNER PAGES
Dyeing with Kitchen Scraps
The fabrics in my nine-patch binder cover were dyed with kitchen materials. I used recipes and methods from my practical guide to natural dyeing cellulose fabrics.
