Blog - Botanical Colors

Mordant Monday: What is Dunging?

Cellulose fibers are the most common fiber that we start with as cotton fabric is readily available and affordable. However, cotton does not have the same affinity for natural dyes as protein fibers such as wool, so the cellulose mordant process is different to achieve good results. The mordant process for cellulose fibers includes pretreating with a tannin, then immersing the tannin treated fabric into an alum solution. This method is one of the earliest mordant methods for cellulose fibers and produces very good results. We use this method regularly as we also love to experiment with different tannins to … Read more

Sunday Visit: Kalen Kaminski of Upstate

For this week’s Sunday Visit interview series, we are excited to feature Kalen Kaminski, the creative force behind Upstate, a vibrant New York-based studio renowned for its handcrafted textiles, apparel, and glassware. With a background in set design and prop styling, Kalen has cultivated a unique aesthetic that blends whimsy with sustainability. Inspired by nature and global travels, she crafts one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect her passion for color and experimentation. From her early days as a prop stylist to founding Upstate, Kalen’s journey is a testament to innovation and collaboration, as she continues to push boundaries in design while advocating … Read more

multicolored dyed eggs in a green ceramic bowl

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

Mordant Monday: Nerd Week at Sanborn Mills Farm

I’m at the airport after teaching for 5 days at Sanborn Mills Farm in New Hampshire. Sanborn Mills Farm is a working organic farm and craft school specializing in traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, woodworking, basketry, kitchen and textile arts. We saw newborn lambs, massive draft horses and oxen and dormant grain fields just starting their spring activity. Sanborn Mills Farm is one of my favorite places to teach with a dye garden a few steps away and trails and farm animals to visit and observe. The weather was typical unsettled early spring and we encountered high winds, heavy rain, … Read more

Sunday Visit: Prairie Underground

Sunday Visit is our Interview series where we sit down to interview exciting members of our community about their process, inspirations and learn about what makes them tick. Today we interview one of our collaborators and dye house clients Prairie Underground. We learn about the women behind the sustainable brand, how they got started and how they navigate the world of fashion and natural dyes. The photos from this series are a special behind the sneak peak of their upcoming Indigo collection we dyed for them in Seattle. They were taken by Elisa Clements Tell us your origin story, how … Read more

Mordant Monday: Creating Color In Tucson

We used raw dyestuffs: cochineal insects, coreopsis flowers, marigolds, extracts and two indigo vats (henna and fructose). I was very impressed how beautiful the colors came out! I was fortunate to teach in Tucson, Arizona last month for the Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild. This was my first time in Arizona and it was a wonderful experience. The dramatic desert landscape really commands your attention and the light just before sunset is luminous. The swatches are from a number of different dye baths and we mixed and matched colors to create 4-color palettes with an indigo dip at the end. … Read more

Sunday Visit: Ni En More meets Blue Light Junction

For this Sunday Visit, we take a bit of a different approach. For Women’s month, I sat down with two inspiring women of our community, Janette Terrazas of Ni En More & Kenya Miles of Blue Light Junction on zoom. Janette did the Ibura Residency at Blue Light. I first met Janette 8 years ago, when I was asked to come down to Ciudad Juarez to work with the women. Ni En More is a non-profit organization dedicated to building social impact and empowerment through ethically crafted, naturally dyed clothing. I first went to Ni En More in 2016, when … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Can A Cold Water Mordant Deepen Colors?

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 recently purchased some aluminum triformate from you all. I tried the aluminum triformate using it at 10% WOF hoping to get the strongest results possible. So far I have only the aluminum sulfate to compare it to. It seems the aluminum sulfate samples are much darker, especially the reds, although I am not finished with all the colors. I am wondering if this is typically the case? Is there anything you would suggest to coax … Read more

Mordant Monday: LIME GREEN

On this Saint Patrick’s Day, learn how to make this punchy lime green! We are pulling this exciting color back from our archives. Wink wink, you might remember it from this summer…Using weld and indigo, you can get awfully close to this punchy acid green. Natural dyes are often thought of as pastel or “soft” colors, but we’re here to help you make a hue that really packs a punch! This is the basic recipe Start with a mordanted cotton bandana, soak it in warm water for 30 minutes to thoroughly wet it out, and dip in a very light … Read more

Sunday Visit: The World of Arielle Toelke

Arielle Toelke’s visual work spans mediums, influences, and universes. She is always interested in adventurous collaboration. Arielle Paints Visions and uses a variety of mediums in her collages. She is the author of the Cooking Color Natural Dye Book. For this Sunday Visit, we learn how Cooking Color came to be, and the Aha! moment that drew her to natural dyeing. Arielle! Give us your backstory. How did you come to be you? What was the moment where you started to work with natural dyes? Ten years ago, I took an indigo dye workshop at an artists studio in Brooklyn. … Read more