Blog - Page 2 of 60 - Botanical Colors

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

MORDANT MONDAY: Tannin Mordanting Cotton & Stiff Wool

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’m getting ready to dye vintage cotton runners. I have aluminum acetate, which tannin powder would you recommend? Weight of fiber protocol?I have a bag of wool roving and also trying to figure out the best way to handle. Last time I ran it through a dye bath it dried dull and stiffish. What do I need to do next? KATHY ANSWERED: The choice of which tannin is really up to your preference. We like to use … Read more

Sunday Visit: In Tangier With Hicham Bouzid

Every Sunday, Botanical Colors sits down for an interview with a luminary in the natural dye and textile world.Grab a cup of tea and settle in to learning about someone you never knew! Catch up on all our Sunday Visits here. Hicham Bouzid is a creative director, editor, and curator based in Tangier, Morocco. With over 13 years of experience collaborating with cultural institutions and foundations worldwide, his work delves into the intricate interplay of Morocco’s urban and social landscapes influenced by neoliberal policies over the past quarter-century. In 2016, Hicham co-founded Think Tanger, an innovative cultural organization working at … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Scouring & Mordanting Raw Silk

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 was wondering what is the best way to scour or mordant raw silk? I know you have on your site that info for silk but just wanted to ask if that applied the same for raw silk as well. KATHY ANSWERED: Raw silk, also referred to as silk noil, is the carded short waste pieces from silk reeling that are carded and spun before weaving or knitting. The fiber is medium weight, textured, matte and can … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Scaling Weld Flowers Vs. Extract

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 dye some of the beautiful hemp I have from Botanical Colors in shades of green using weld and logwood. I see the only weld you are currently offering is in natural flower form and not an extract. That’s great, my extract has turned to rock, so flowers … Read more