Gayfeather Fabrics

It's going to take a lot of sewing to get through the next four years. Love to all the wonderful creative people out there!

This extraordinary survivor is a child’s sock that dates from the 3rd to 4th centuries CE. It was fished out of a landfill during an excavation in the city of Antinooupolis in Egypt about 1913.
Using multispectral imaging it has been determined that seven hues of wool yarn were used, employing three natural dye materials, madder for red, woad for blue and weld for yellow. The dyes were subsequently mixed to create different colors like green orange and purple. In some cases, fibers of different colors were spun together; in others, individual yarns went through multiple dye baths.
The use of multispectral imaging allows the examination to be non-invasive and also enables the researcher to see colors and details invisible to the naked eye. For example, dye colors that had faded out are still visible using this technology.

Collection of the British Museum.