Botanical Colors How Tos

Our Botanical Colors How-To’s pages are a go-to resource for lots of seasoned as well as new dyers. Looking to learn how to work with natural dyes? You’ve come to the right place. We have developed an extensive list of instructional guides for all your natural dye needs.

Indigo dyeing

Indigo is a unique process and requires different processes than other dyes to be successful. See our instructions for different types of indigo vats below!

Indigo Instructions

Our indigo instructions originally used a recipe based on Michel Garcia’s 1-2-3 vat, created nearly 10 years ago. Since then, we’ve made some changes and developed different recipes that will allow you to control how light or dark your vat is. Types of Vats: There are three main types of vats that you can build. Use the indigo instructions below to decide which one is best for you.  Vat type About Advantages Disadvantages Fructose Clearest blue Dyes lighter than henna or iron Seems to perform best when aged for 2-3 days, and when warmed before use. Henna Warmest blue/yellow cast … Read more

Hide Glue Indigo Vat Instructions

These instructions will help you understand how to use hide glue in an indigo vat. Hide glue is a protein based adhesive used in fine woodworking and antique restoration and for thousands of years was the most common woodworking glue until the invention of polyvinyl acetate and resin glues in the 20th century. It is made from animal skins, bones and connective tissue and is a tenacious adhesive yet also water soluble and non toxic and not hazardous. Artists use rabbit skin glue to size canvases.  People also use it in bookbinding and to prepare certain art mediums. For textile … Read more

How to Dye with Fresh Indigo

A beautiful blue with ice water and just-picked indigo leaves Our thanks to John Marshall for this easy recipe on how to dye with fresh indigo! One of the delights of growing your own Japanese indigo is making fresh indigo leaf baths and dipping for that beautiful and elusive slightly turquoise shade. What makes it even more special is that it works great on silk, and the fabric really shows off the color. For this process you will need: Instructions You will need a generous armful of indigo stalks to dye a few silk scarves or yarns. Wool will also dye beautifully with fresh … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Vat

The fructose 1-2-3 vat is one of the easiest indigo vats to set up and gives good color. I’ve found that it benefits from a few days aging to really develop a consistent and beautiful blue. A fructose vat will give you a clear blue color and is a good choice if you want to dye light to medium blue shades. Dark shades require multiple dips. Unsure about what type of vat you want to use? See our blog post about different vat types here! Shop the the Easy 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Kit here! Getting Started Ingredients (Amounts are calculated below) … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Henna Indigo Vat

A henna vat will give you a warm blue color as henna has a strong brown-orange undertone, and it influences the cool shades of blue. It is a good choice for dark blue shades. Henna vats get noticeably stronger after several days of rest once they are built and the vat will smell strongly herbal. The henna powder is quite bulky and goopy when it is hydrated, so we like to mix it separately with a generous amount of water and then strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps before adding it into the vat. Unsure … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Iron Indigo Vat

An iron vat will give you a cool blue-gray color. It is a good choice for dark blue shades. Once it is built, you can dip in this vat at room temperature without reheating it. If you want to dye wool or silk, do not use an iron vat as it damages protein fibers. Important safety note: Iron (ferrous sulfate) in high doses is unsafe for babies, small children and pets. It is not known if iron residue remains on the fabric and in the vat in amounts that could be of concern. Out of an abundance of caution, we … Read more

How to prepare fibers for dyeing

Before dyeing, you need to make sure your textiles are well prepared. Learn more below.

How to Mordant

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant dye process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. A mordant is a mineral salt that fixes with the fiber allowing natural dyes to bond to it. For us it is the most important step to improve light and washfastness. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it … Read more

How to Scour

Our How To guides are intended to make the dye process easy for our customers, from scouring and mordanting your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Scouring? “Scouring” is the textile term for cleaning fibers prior to mordanting and dyeing, and does not refer to washing fabrics in a washing machine. If the fiber is not clean, the mordant and dyes will not adhere well to the fiber. Fabrics sold as gray goods or “greige” require a thorough scour. Fibers need scouring if they feel greasy (ex. wool … Read more

How to Mordant with Symplocos

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. (Check out our Q & A: Round Up of Mordanting + Scouring 101 here.) Most mordants are calculated based off of a percentage of the … Read more

How to Mordant with Aluminum Sulfate

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. Mordanting provides the dyer flexibility as fibers can be mordanted in advance, dried, and dyed later, or mordanted and dyed in … Read more

How to Mordant with Aluminum Acetate

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant dye process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. (Check out our Q & A: Round Up of Scouring + Mordanting 101 here.) Most mordants are calculated based on … Read more

How to Mordant with Tannin and Alum

Mordanting with Tannin and Aluminum Sulfate is the traditional cellulose mordant and was widely used prior to the introduction of Aluminum Acetate or Aluminum Triformate. You may use Aluminum sulfate or Aluminum potassium sulfate. Both are commonly referred to as “alum”. Our How To guides are intended to make the dye process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of … Read more

How to Mordant with Aluminum Potassium Sulfate

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. Mordanting provides the dyer flexibility as fibers can be mordanted in advance, dried, and dyed later, or mordanted and dyed in … Read more

How to Mordant with Aluminum Triformate

Our How To guides are intended to make the mordant process easy, from scouring your fibers to dyeing with an assortment of dyes. You can find other How To guides here. What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. (Check out our Q & A: Round Up of Mordanting + Scouring 101 here.) Mordanting with Aluminum Triformate Aluminum triformate is a room temperature mordant for … Read more

How to dye

Once your fibers are prepared, you’re ready to dye!

Natural Dye Extract Instructions

Natural dyes are a wonderful way to learn about the hidden colors in nature. We obtain yellow and purple from exotic dye woods, red from the cochineal bug and brown from a sweet-smelling resin. Follow the easy instructions below for best results and enjoy the color journey! Fiber Preparation and Mordanting Your fiber should be scoured and mordanted prior to dyeing. Visit our How To pages for information on scouring and mordanting instructions for wool, alpaca, silk (protein), cotton and plant (cellulose) fibers. Dyeing your Fibers Calculating the amount of dye that you need can be done by first weighing the material that you … Read more

Liquid Natural Dye Instructions

Our liquid dye instructions will help explain how to use Aquarelle and other liquid dyes. These dyes are convenient, easy to use, and produce beautiful, harmonious colors. Each dye comes from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source and has been used for generations by cultures all over the world. Cutch Liquid: A sweet-smelling brown. Himalayan Rhubarb Liquid: a rich gold from the rhubarb roots. This plant is also used in traditional herbal medicine. Liquid Logwood: a beautiful purple originally from Central America. Madder Liquid: one of the most ancient dyes. This is the red of Persian rugs. Myrobalan … Read more

How to Dye with Raw Materials

Different raw materials require different techniques. See our how tos for specific raw dye materials below.

Dye Flower Instructions

Flowers such as weld, coreopsis, dahlias, sulfur cosmos, marigold, sunflower and dyer’s chamomile are all considered dye flowers. Each of these plants will create various shades but their extraction techniques are similar. These instructions are for creating immersion dye baths. Fiber Preparation and Mordanting We offer scouring and mordanting instructions for wool, alpaca, silk (protein), cotton and plant (cellulose) fibers. Your fiber should be scoured and mordanted before dying. Creating and Using a Dyebath The amount of flowers needed ranges from 20-100% weight of fiber (WOF). Larger amounts of flowers will create darker and more saturated shades. If you are using fresh flowers, start … Read more

Tips For Dyeing With Marigolds

Ever wondered how to dye with marigold flowers? The humble marigold makes a beautiful and easy color that captures summer even when the weather is cold and gray. They brighten flower borders and are a companion plant in organic gardening. Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is native to Central America. The Aztecs used it as a flavoring ingredient for cacao. In Mexico, marigolds are also referred to as “Flor de Muertos” (Flowers of the Dead) and used in the Dia de los Muertos festivals and ceremonies. The deeply scented and brightly colored flower is believed to guide the spirits toward the elaborate … Read more

How to dye with Ceriops

Ceriops tagal is a traditional South Pacific island nation dye, derived from the bark of the mangrove tree. Our dye originates from FSC forests and is a waste product from the timber harvest. Its manufacture helps keep local village economies thriving while maintaining cultural importance and environmental stewardship. Shop Ceriops tagal here. We acknowledge that mangrove forests worldwide are under pressure from clear cutting, aquaculture, bamboo and palm grove planting and environmental impacts of industrial and agricultural activities. Unchecked development will threaten these vital forests. We only source the dye from our trusted partner, Threads of Life. Threads of Life … Read more

From the blog

Our blog contains recipes for different colors and instructions for many different projects. We are regularly updating the website with recipes and how to guides, so please check back!

Easy Print Paste Thickener Tutorial

Designs and prints come to life with mordant printing using Botanical Colors Print Paste Thickener and this tutorial! If you don’t follow Arielle Toelke, Designer + Creator of Four Rabbit, you’re missing out! With a background in art, Arielle creates a line of goods that are both graphic and fun. We’ve been friends with her for years and also gotten to know her as one of our customers using our dyes and assists to make some pretty exciting, graphically pleasing surface designs. We asked Arielle to write an easy-to-use print paste thickener tutorial, sent her some of our print paste … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Will Mordant Affect Indigo Dyeing?

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 use aluminum triformate as my mordant for cellulose and silk. I am planning to dye linen with weld and was told that I didn’t need to use a tannin before dyeing if using potassium triformate.If I do need to use a tannin and have already mordanted the linen, do I go back and use tannin and remordant? KATHY ANSWERED: I have concentrated on using a tannin pretreat with aluminum sulfate and haven’t done so as frequently … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Using Alum Sulfate For Plant & Protein Fibers?

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 confused about the different types of aluminum mordants. I want to do some dyeing of fabric (silk, cotton) and also some wool. Do I need to use different aluminum mordants for these different fibers? I was told that I needed aluminum acetate for plant fibers and aluminum sulfate for protein fibers. Is that true? I have alum sulfate and would love to use it for both if that is workable. KATHY ANSWERED: Mordanting provides lots of … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Soy Binder In The Whole Plant?

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 growing soybeans to make soy milk to use as a binding agent and am wondering if it’s possible that the entire plant contains the necessary proteins, or if it’s solely in the beans? KATHY ANSWERED: If you do a search on soybean leaves and protein, a lot of information comes up. It appears as if the leaves contain protein but I don’t have the training to translate how much protein and what quality it is … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Exhausted Mordant Baths + Sumac 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: After watching your video about aluminum triformate I decided to order it and started using it. I work with large quantities and large pieces, so I prepared a bucket with 50 liters of water and 500 grams of aluminum triformate. I used it to mordant approximately 5 kg of yarn/pieces. The water was white at the beginning, I suppose because I just mixed the powder, but after the first load, it was just like regular water. I … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: If It’s Tannin Rich Do You Need Mordant?

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’ve read that natural dye materials with a high tannin level don’t need a mordant to dye wool. I have a rain barrel that collects run-off from the roof. The roof is under a huge maple tree, which over the course of the seasons, drops flower clusters, seeds, leaves and sticks onto the roof. This turns the runoff water in the rain barrel a brownish color. I believe this is due to the tannin in these items? … Read more

Pretty In Pink : Cochineal Instructions

The world has been taken yet again by the effervescent hue of pink. Gretta Gerwig’s new feminist take on Barbie has taken the media by storm. The paint used for the movie set even put a run on the world’s supply!  We wanted to bring you some recipes for creating the color in a natural and harmonious way.  Kassia St. Clair, in The Secret Lives of Color takes us on a journey through how the color came to be named in modern times. “The first reference in the Oxford English Dictionary being used to describe pale reds is the late … Read more

Dye Easter Eggs With Natural Dyes

Everyone from kids to adults love to get their hands messy when they dye Easter eggs with natural dyes. This is a fun tutorial for adults and kiddos (parents help, please) to make a little Easter magic. First things first, let’s talk about health & safety: We always recommend working in a very well ventilated area. Although natural dyes are non-toxic, when using fine powders it’s best to wear a mask, and keep the windows open. Be mindful around little ones and pets as you don’t want anything going in mouths that shouldn’t be there. Also, when beginning to set … Read more

How To: Bundle Dyeing Harvest & Mill Socks

A Tutorial For The Natural Dye Newbie! Bundle Dyeing Harvest & Mill Socks: Bundle dyeing is a great way to start your natural dye journey. This technique is forgiving, great for covering up stains, up-cycling old garments and giving them a new life with items you have at home! First things first, let’s talk about health & safety: We always recommend working in a very well ventilated area. Although natural dyes are non – toxic, when using fine powders it’s best to wear a mask, and keep the windows open. Be mindful around little ones and pets as you don’t … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: To Mordant Or Not To Mordant + Disposing Of Mordant Baths

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy … Read more

If you have questions on Botanical Colors How To’s, please contact us at [email protected].