MORDANT MONDAY: Do I Need To Mordant When Using Liquid Tannin?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I am using your liquid tannin on cotton. Beyond scouring, I was wondering if it is sufficient to use liquid tannin (on cotton t-shirts) as a mordant before using the other liquid dyes? Or, do I need to mordant cottons at all when using these liquids? Do I need to alum them as well? I have aluminum triformate currently so was thinking to use this.  KATHY ANSWERED: I hope I’m answering your question here. If you want to use Liquid … Read more

Sunday Visit: Maibe Maroccolo on Native Brazilian Flora and Fostering Creativity

This week’s Sunday Visit we catch up with the inimitable Maibe Maroccolo she is the founder and creative director of Mattricaria based in Brazil. She has a master in sustainable development from the University of Arts London. After a period of studies and specialization in the United Kingdom, Maibe delved into her Brazilian roots and dedicated herself to researching and mapping dye plants, with a focus on textile and artistic applications. Since 2013, her research has revolved around the potential of natural dyes from Brazilian flora and Matricaria was born. The studio also records traditional methods aimed at artisanal practices. You have … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Do I Need To Re-Mordant To Eco Print?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I have scoured the internet trying to find an answer to this question, with no luck other than to ask you 🙂 I am dyeing my fabric (scoured and mordanted with tara tannin, aluminum acetate, chalk bath) and want to eco print flowers onto the fabric afterwards. Do I re-mordant or is the previous mordant still viable after the fabric has been dyed as the water reaches 180 degrees. I use your plant extracts to dye and … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: What IS Calcium Carbonate?

YOU ASKED: May I ask what you mean by calcium carbonate? I read in your description of “calcium carbonate” you compare it to chalk. This confuses me because chalk is caso4•(H2O) while calcium carbonate is caco3. KATHY ANSWERED:  What we call “chalk” in the US is Calcium Carbonate – CaC03, a powdery white material.  The formula that you reference is Calcium Sulfate and it may also be called “chalk” but in the US, we commonly refer to it as “gypsum”. Calcium carbonate is used to mark soccer fields, as a dietary calcium supplement, an ingredient in antacids, and building materials! … Read more

Iron( ferrous sulfate)

MORDANT MONDAY: Iron + Mordant=A “Weird Feeling”

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I bought iron from you guys to use to dye some wool fabric. I used it in a dye bath with coffee. I used your alum to mordant prior to dyeing in advance. I’m concerned I let the fabric sit too long in the coffee + iron bath because it now has a sort of weird feeling to it, almost a coating on it. Curious if there is a way to remedy this? KATHY ANSWERED: Sometimes too … Read more

Sunday Visit: Exploring the ‘Betweenness’ Of Natural Dyes & Art With Megumi Shauna Arai

Megumi Shauna Arai is an artist based in New York City. Her practice is inspired by abstraction, craft, and the experience of betweenness with a particular interest in literal and metaphorical borders and the notion of belonging. She is represented by gallery Object & Thing, a space created by Abby Bangser as an exhibition in New York City that reimagined the art and design fair concept. It has since evolved into an itinerant exhibition program collaboratively organizing site-specific exhibitions within iconic 20th century artists’ and architects’ homes. Megumi is one of a group of artists “whose practices go beyond the … Read more

Our Top 8 Picks For The Most Durable Natural Dyes

We get asked A LOT about which are the most durable natural dyes in our shop. By durable, we mean dyes that excel in both light and washfastness. But as we always say to people when they ask us to point them in that direction, there’s lots of questions we have for YOU around your lifestyle and wash practices and natural dyes. For instance, do you use a harsh detergent? Do you wash your dyed clothing daily? Do you hang dry or put on high heat in the dryer? Is it a silk blouse or a cotton napkin? How often … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Safe Mordant Disposal With Well Systems

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Am I right that a mordant bath is tired based on how many uses and the WOF? Safe mordant disposal for us rural artists with well systems and no municipal drain…do I need to neutralize with soda ash or is that step unnecessary? My tap water is ph6. Can I water plants or feed the spent bath to the spruce trees? KATHY ANSWERED: You can definitely recharge alum baths. We support that as a way to get … Read more

You Asked, Judi Pettite From BioHue Answered: Painting Fabric With Dye Inks

We get lots of emails from customers about challenges with dyeing and needing Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori’s help. Why not share the learning so we can all benefit? From our inboxes to you, it’s simple: You Asked, Kathy Answered. Email [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I would like to purchase your ink dyes to paint on fabric. Will these last and stay on natural fabrics? How do they work on recycled fabrics or synthetics? Judi Pettite from BioHue (who makes our inks! ANSWERED: The inks work well on fabric. They can be painted on, or use the … Read more

For World Water Day, 12 Ways to Natural Dye & Protect Land & Water

For World Water Day on March 22, 2024, we wanted to shine a light on 12 ways to natural dye and protect our water. As natural dyers, we have so many ways we can tackle these issues from collecting and reusing water creatively to simply stopping using hazardous pesticides as we grow our beautiful dye plants.This year’s theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace.’ From the World Water Day 2024 site: “When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon … Read more