I think I'm going to have a play
Like you I find alum gives me red shades, but I don't get orange. I do get peachy ones from the used dyebath though. Copper gives rich dark plum colours and iron gives dark maroon shades.
Do you do any overdyeing ? Yellow into indigo gives green for instance ? or madder red into indigo gives me purples.
I knew of porcupine quills being used for fishing floats, but I didn't know that you could do such fine work with them.
We learn something everyday, we really do
atb,
M