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It's no surprise that the fashion industry is coming under close scrutiny for damage done to our most precious resource: water. According to an article in Treehugger, a single mill in China can use 200 tons of water for each ton of fabric it dyes; many rivers run with the colors of the season as [...] Continue Reading

Do you know about Maker’s Row? Well, Botanical Colors just got listed on it and we are so proud to be part of their online database for U.S. manufacturers. Maker’s Row wants to make it easier for businesses to access and produce their goods from companies in the United States. To help with that, the […]

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We were so excited that LISSA the shop contacted us for an interview! LISSA hopes to be an online leader for selling a curated collection of eco-conscious clothing for stylish women, “for that every day, relaxed elegance. Not too granola, nothing too fancy.” Part of Lissa’s eco-formula for success will be opting for clothing made […]

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I was fortunate to work with Fran Yoshioka, a well-known, respected color and trend forecast expert on the Autumn/Winter 2014 palette. Color forecasting is an art and a science and Fran travels to Europe to check out the trends in boutiques, street life and some major trade shows. The major trends she described to me were [...] Continue Reading

Carol Shaw-Sutton Art There are so many wonderful textile artists and natural inspiration around us daily, so much so that sometimes it's hard to settle and do our own work! When we first started the Botanical Colors Pinterest page, the idea was to savor what we loved most, give it a rest stop so we [...] Continue Reading

We love that our Pom-Pom and silk, metallic gauze shawls were posted on Wantful today! Our large and lightweight shawls are dyed in organic indigo, giving them a natural color incomparable to conventional dyes. Handwoven and hand tied, each shawl will have slight variations of blue, but all are completely beautiful and ready to cover [...] Continue Reading

We're getting excited with every registration for this September workshop! Learn the ancient art of Woad dyeing from master dyer Denise Simeon Lambert, founder of Bleu de Lectoure in Southwest France. Denise’s passion for traditional French Blue revitalized woad dyeing and cultivation in France and brought back the medieval techniques of the traditional woad vat, [...] Continue Reading

This is an easy to make, beautiful green.  I am including some guidelines – create your own version for a beautiful accent to your 2013 color palette. EMERALD On wool yarn, mordant with potassium aluminum sulfate.  You may use between 10-20% on the weight of the fiber. -Use 5% fustic and 5% Saxon Blue.  At […]

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Join us for a very special workshop this Fall in Seattle! Learn the ancient art of Woad dyeing from master dyer Denise Simeon Lambert, founder of Bleu de Lectoure in southwest France. Denise’s passion for traditional French Blue revitalized woad dyeing and cultivation in France and brought back the medieval techniques of the traditional woad […]

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In 2009 and 2010 I had the opportunity to study with natural dye master Michel Garcia.  He is a marvelous and knowledgeable teacher,  fascinated with using the chemistry of simple ingredients to create natural colors.  One of the things that he demonstrated to us was to be fearless about the indigo fermentation vat.  What a gift!  […]

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