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Mordant Monday: Foraging Instead

Today I was supposed to write about mordanting, but I had a foraging date to scout out potential sites for our upcoming workshop with Julie Beeler, so I headed out this morning to get a sense of what we might discover during our workshop. I am a mushroom foraging novice, and will stare for a long time at the forest floor and see absolutely nothing. I simply don’t have the eyes yet to distinguish between a brown leaf and a bolete. But to my surprise, there were some mushrooms that give color that very happily announced their presence right in … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Sally Fox

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had organic cotton guru SALLY FOX. Sally Fox is a cotton breeder who breeds naturally colored varieties of cotton. She created Foxfibre®️ and founded the company Natural Cotton Colours Inc. Sally developed the first species of environmentally friendly colored cotton that could be spun into thread on a machine and has been called a “cotton pioneer” for her efforts regarding organic, colored cotton and heirloom wheat. Watch the video below: Sally has been breeding and growing organic naturally colored cottons since 1982 and has spent decades breeding naturally colored cotton. She recently noted that … Read more

Mordant Monday: A NERD’S GUIDE TO MORDANTS

Kathy is currently creating magic at Sanborn Mills for her Nerd’s Guide to Mordants workshop. We decided to give you a little taste into all of the beautiful mordant variations she is creating for this workshop and some of the key considerations you should take into account when beginning to mordant. For all of you budding mordant nerds out there, here are some highlights of what is covered during the class. We are working on bringing this class to you in online form, so here is a little teaser while you wait! What is a Mordant? A mordant is a … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: What’s The Best Mordant Duo For A Cotton T-shirt?

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 had a question about your aluminum triformate. I am going to dye 20 cotton t-shirts and thought the aluminum triformate would be a good option for mordanting. I am wondering if I should still use a tannin? Do you think it’s the best option for mordanting cotton items that will be washed often? KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, tannin really helps with wash and lightfastness. You have a wide choice of tannins: gallo-tannin, tara powder, chestnut, myrobalan, pomegranate … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Threads of Life

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had Threads of Life Co-Founders William Ingram and Jean Howe. After the presentation, we had a virtual trunk show with Jean that was amazing and showcased all the artisans they work with. Watch the video below: About Threads of Life: Threads of Life, a Bali-based social enterprise that has worked with over 1000 traditional weavers and their families in 50 communities on 12 Indonesian islands since 1997. As co-director of the Bebali Foundation since 2002 he has led the organization’s support for sustainable use of natural dyes and other non-timber forest products by these … Read more

Sunday Visit: Evolving Fibershed With Rebecca Burgess

Today’s Sunday Visit is with one of our fiber and dye heroes, Rebecca Burgess. Rebecca is the executive director of Fibershed and the author of Harvesting Color as well as Fibershed-Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy. She’s also a seasoned weaver and natural dyer. About a decade ago, Rebecca had the idea to develop a project focused on wearing clothing made from fiber grown, woven, and sewn within her bioregion of North Central California. From the Fibershed book: “As she began to network with ranchers, farmers, and artisans, she discovered that even … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Kathy Hattori Q&A

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was all about Botanical Colors’ Founder/President, Kathy Hattori for a Q&A. Watch the video recording here: …and here are a bunch of questions Kathy didn’t get to that she’s answered: I would like to know how to work with a lump of logwood extract that got damp. maybe in a blog post? Yes, we’ll put a post together that talks about stock solutions. I have mixed old nails with vinegar and the liquid started foaming. What is happening? It sounds like it was a reaction from the metal and the vinegar. Perhaps some of the nails … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Video: Alice Fox Of Wild Textiles

Last week we had Wild Textiles author and artist Alice Fox. Alice talked about what is happening currently on her allotment in terms of fibers for harvesting and processing.

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Fiber + Installation Artist Juliette Sallin

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had fiber and installation artist Juliette Sallin. Juliette talked about her most recent works and research about the relationship between plant, femininity and colors. Watch the video here. Follow Juliette’s work here and here. Juliette says her favorite dyes of ours are cochineal, safflower and logwood. ABOUT: Born in 1980 in Geneva, Switzerland, fiber and installation artist Juliette Sallin studied textile design at the University of Florence, new media at the HEAD Geneva and Kingston University (GB). Two-time recipient of the Swiss Ikea Foundation (2009 and 2013), Juliette has exhibited in Switzerland and Great … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Indigo & Oak (+Stony Creek Colors!)

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had Molly Roškar of Indigo & Oak and Sarah Bellos from Stony Creek Colors. Molly talked about color on a medium we don’t always consider, wood. She addressed the way natural dye and different finishes become lenses through which we can see and interact with this particular fiber. A new lens for sure. We also had Stony Creek Colors who introduced their newest product IndiGold™, the world’s first pre-reduced liquid natural indigo dye and demonstrated how a completely hydro-free vat made with 100% plant-based indigo can be created instantly and ready for use. They … Read more