Spanish Cochineal

Colours:
BRIGHT BUBBLEGUM PINK, Pastel pink, deep crimson and purples

Ingredients:

Whole dried cochineal

InFO/ABOUT:

Cochineal is a shellac insect, indigenous to South and Central America and Mexico, however, it was also introduced to Spain, North Africa and Australia. Now, it is mostly exported from Peru.

We are pleased to be working with traditional ecological cochineal farmers in the Canary Islands to offer this more local source of brillaint natural pink dye!

An ancient dye stuff, which offers intense hues of scarlet, orange reds and bright pink. It is thought to have been harvested by Aztecs and Mayans since the 14th century, and once considered more precious than gold.

The insects live on and feed off the nopal cacti, also known as the prickly pear.

Cochineal has high levels of carmine, as a natural defence against potential predators, which do not like the acidic taste. It’s the female bugs and eggs that are used, as they have much higher levels of carmine that the males, at 17-24% of their body mass.

Today, carmine is used widely by the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, as a colourant.

Herbal and traditional uses:

Aztec women would stain their teeth with the crushed bodies of their native insects, to appear more attractive and sexually alluring.

Recipe:

5% WOF - light pinks

10% WOF - Deep crimsons (eg 100g will dye 1kg of fibre)

To use the whole dried bugs, foirst grind into a powder either using a petle and mortar or an electric coffee grinder/ lender.

Put the required amount of powder in a bowl, add a few drops of water to make a paste and smooth out any lumps, before adding a few tea spoonfuls of water, to make an ink.

To make a dye, add enough water to create the space required for your fibres to move around freely in. Simmer for 60 mins to dissolve the powder and then strain through a stainless steel seive lined with cheesecloth/muslin. The mulch can be reserved to use again for a 2nd extraction as there is more colour still in the dyestuff.

Add fibres to the strained liquid and heat for 60 mins until the desired depth of colour is acquired. Leave to saturate overnight for deeper shades. Remove and wash, rinse, air dry.

Refert to my “Botanical Dyes” book for further info on dyeing instructions for cellulose/protein fibres, mordanting etc.

Fastness:

Strong fastness.

Cochineal is a colourfast dye, and does not deteriorate with time. A testament to this has been the range of paintings and textiles found preserved in various ancient Mayan and Aztec pyramid tombs.

Mordants/Modifiers:

Acids turn dye to red. A little acidic modifier such as cream of tartar, can offer more vibrant colours.

Alkali transform dye to warm purple

Iron shifts colours to deep purple

Ph sensitivity:

Very sensitive

ORIGIN:

Canary Islands

HARVESTING Technique:

The insect is collected individually by hand and dried.

Transport:

Air courier from Canary Islands to UK in unbleached cotton drawstring bags, inside a cardboard box with protective plastic lining.

Shipped from Botanical Inks in Devon via Royal Mail

Packaging:

Packaged in a 100% compostable zip lock paper pouch and put inside a biodegradable corn starch mailer bag - safe for health and environment