Blog - Botanical Colors

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY With Rosalind Wyatt & Christi Johnson

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with alumnae Rosalind Wyatt & Christi Johnson. The two discussed the importance of getting centered with hand stitching, the power of embellishment and why we stitch and dye. Though a different format for a typical FEEDBACK FRIDAY, this conversation between the two artists was inspiring. If you saw Rosalind Wyatt and Christi Johnson on their individual FEEDBACK FRIDAYS, you know this was a great match up! Watch the video recording here. About Rosalind Wyatt: UK-based Rosalind Wyatt is a collage and calligraphy artist. Rosalind explores history and tells stories through natural dyes, needle, thread and … Read more

blue and white fabric dyed with radiating white circles

How To Make 3 Easy Resists

These three, easy shibori techniques work best with indigo, but can be used with other natural dyes as well. With all three techniques, before you begin, prepare your workspace for a messy process. Cover the surface you plan to work on with something you don’t mind getting wet and dirty and wear an apron and gloves. The Scrunch Dye your fabric in your dye of choice! After dyeing, rinse the bundle gently. Then remove the rubber bands and open up the fabric bundle. Rinse again until the water runs clear. Air dry away from direct sunlight. The Honeycomb Dampen your … Read more

yellow-green fabric in a stainless steel dyepot

Making Green with Logwood and Weld

It’s not often that you can combine yellow and purple to make green, but weld extract and logwood will yield interesting results, depending on the strength of the weld and logwood combination. We have tested this on wool and our recipes are as follows. Feel free to experiment with other fibers and proportions of dyes! Chartreuse Use 3% weld on the weight of fabric (WOF) and dissolve in hot water. Do not add any auxiliaries such as calcium or soda ash. Measure and add 0.25% WOF logwood extract to the weld and stir well. Add this mixture to a dye … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Holiday Kitchen Color

When you watch the video, check out the chat on the side to see lots of links we provided for colors we didn’t cover but that are still possible. Watch the video here. FEEDBACK FRIDAY If you are not familiar with FEEDBACK FRIDAY, every other week, we speak with dyers, artists, scientists and scholars about our favorite topic, natural dyeing and color. Curated by Amy DuFault, Botanical Colors’ Sustainability Director and presented by Botanical Colors’ Founder Kathy Hattori. About Botanical Colors: Botanical Colors offers natural dyes, and education to artisans around the world. We support regional farmers and delight in … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Anong Beam of Beam Paints

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had Anong Beam of Beam Paints. Anong says her business is the result of a multi-generational love of pigment, paint, color, and innovation. “I was raised by my artist parents, Carl Beam and Ann Beam, and was taught from a young age how to harvest hematite pigment in the LaCloche mountain range near our home in M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.” Beam Paints draws on Anong’s early education in Indigenous pigment and expands it to encompass all paint traditions. She talked about the progression of her craft, her love of color, and more. … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Video: Textile Artist Tenzin Tsomo

On our last FEEDBACK FRIDAY we welcomed Tenzin Tsomo, a textile artist and designer based in Seattle, Washington. Her presentation looked at key moments in the history of Tibetan rug weaving in Nepal, from a coveted skill kept within families in Tibet to the dissemination of that indigenous craft knowledge to Tibetan refugees and local Nepali artisans of recent. While weaving has transformed the lives and economy of many communities, the technique itself has been diluted down in the last couple of decades to cater to the ruthless demands of capitalism. Watch the video here. About Tenzin Tsomo:Tenzin launched @studio.tenjung … Read more

Video: Live Q&A On Aquarelle Liquid Dyes

We have lots of people that buy our Aquarelle liquid dyes and just as many with questions on how to use them. Each Aquarelle liquid natural dye is pre-extracted from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source and can combine easily to produce beautiful shades. They can also be used to thicken with Print Paste Thickener for printing, painting and other surface design applications.Watch the video recording here to learn something new!

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: Botanical Colors Talks Invasive Plants + Color

For this year’s New York Textile Month, the team at Botanical Colors talked about Invasive Plants + Color. Invasive plants, we see them roadside, in highway medians, standing as sentries in drought-tolerant fields and abandoned lots. We call them “invasive,” adversely affecting the habitats and beneficial plants we do want to thrive. The fact is, they’re not going anywhere so what if we worked with them to create color on textiles? Join the Botanical Colors team as they take you through a visual journey from Seattle to Cape Cod to share experiences and recent color journeys with this type of … Read more

Video of Live Q&A For (New Cold Water Mordant) Aluminum Triformate

Check out our video recording and Q&A for our new cold water mordant Aluminum Triformate! Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori took us on a one hour review on and demo using aluminum triformate. She showed show results of tests and experiments using the cold water mordant and answered lots of questions. Watch the recording here. Shop Aluminum Triformate here About: Aluminum triformate is a room temperature mordant for all natural fibers including wool, silk, cotton, hemp and linen. It also works on a gpL (grams per Liter) calculation or a weight of fiber (WOF) percentage and we’ve used it successfully with … Read more