daisies to dye for

September 02, 2013

You can dye Marguerite Daisies easily!

In the United States, the national holiday Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September.  Labor Day commemorates the achievements of American workers and honors their past and present contributions to making a strong and prosperous nation.  It's also symbolically the end of summer, when the school children go back to school after their summer break, when we stop wearing white (not me!), and when we have the last big party of summer!  Labor Day parties mean picnics and bar-be-ques with ribs and chicken, cole slaw and potato salad, and ice cream and brownies are a must for dessert!  We went to a fun party yesterday and while I didn't manage to get any pictures of the food, I did get pictures of the gorgeous setting and tables.  I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautiful garden.  Large mature trees dot the property complete with a babbling brook.  It was heaven.

The tables were set with yellow and white check tablecloths with a mix of brightly colored napkins to match the brightly colored Marguerite Daisies our hostess placed on the tables.  Nature doesn't provide bright turquoise or lime green daisies, but you can easily dye them!  Here's how!

How to Dye Crazy Daisies

First prepare the dye water.  Fill glasses with a scant cup of warm water.  Add drops of food coloring, you will need about 30-40 drops per cup, yes, it has to be very bright and strong.  Use fresh white Marguerite Daisies and prepare your flowers by cutting stems to within 12" (or shorter) and removing stem leaves.   Cut stem again, this time on the diagonal with a quick sharp cut then immediately immerse in dye water.  In just a few hours you'll start to see the daisies change colors as they soak up the colored water.  This is a very fun project to do with children.  Marguerite Daisies are generally inexpensive and readily available.

The large mature trees stand along side a creek.


There were many inviting places to sit.


Potato chips served in plastic children's buckets.

In the background all ages play croquet, and bubbles on hand just in case!

These paper daisies made me smile.

Coming up next are a few posts about knitted accessories, after all, this is a knitting blog!

 One reader was kind enough to ask for my potato salad recipe, 
and I've posted it here on my new recipe blog.

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7 Comments

  1. This all looks absolutely delightful! I'd love to be sitting beside that pool - and those daisies are perfect- thanks for sharing that fun idea!

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  2. Whaaaat! I always wondered how those daisies got to be such brilliant colors. I have to try this. Beautiful setting by the pool, and an outdoor fireplace too! Lovely.

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  3. Hi Kristen. Wow, impressive, we can dye daisies. I love the fabulous colors. You have a gorgeous backyard, especially the fireplace setting. Everyday must be fabulous. xo Linda

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  4. Kristen, they are so pretty. I love all of the different colors. Thank you for sharing. You will be one of the features tomorrow at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Pop on on and grab a feature button for your blog. Hope to see your prettiness again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  5. In my former house I had loads of daisies, huge bushes. I never thought to dye them. I used to dye Queen Ann's Lace with this method with the children. It was fun but the results were not nearly so spectacular!

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  6. What a beautiful garden! I love her happy style and colors!

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