Blog - Page 31 of 66 - Botanical Colors

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Keith Recker

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY had us all captivated by the storytelling of color (and how we perceive it), with Keith Recker. In addition to sharing some of the natural dye and pigment stories included in his book True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes, Keith talked about how the human eye perceives color, and how color terms enter human languages around the world. Watch the video recording below: Keith Recker is President and co-founder of HAND/EYE magazine, a multidisciplinary journal of global handmade creativity. He is also a board member and Creative Director of the International Folk Art Market in … Read more

10 Tannins That Don’t Need a Mordant

There are so many mordant variations and we urge you to experiment and find the one that works best for you. If you’re not familiar with the term, mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Mordanting prepares fibers to bond with natural dyes and is typically a separate immersion bath for the fibers. Many natural dyes require the use of a mordant to achieve the most durable and long lasting colors. Though you might start with the tried and true aluminum mordants, consider trying tannin-rich extracts that not only offer a base color, they prep … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: EILEEN FISHER Renew

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Lilah Horwitz, Creative Director at EILEEN FISHER Renew about their amazing take back program. Did you know they have rescued over 1.5 million pieces of clothing since 2009, to be resold, donated or remade into new designs? We’re proud to have partnered with EILEEN FISHER Renew every Earth Day since 2014 on an indigo collection. This collection helps to support our business that uses nontoxic, biodegradable dyes and responsible dyeing practices and partners us with another sustainable business working to do good for both people and planet. It’s a win win. We were so … Read more

Fabric with concentric shapes in blue and white

For National Tie-Dye Day, Resist With An Indigo Vat

There’s a holiday for everything so all hail National Tie-Dye Day! According to Vox, did you know that historians’ knowledge of early techniques similar to tie-dye is limited by the fact that textiles decay faster than most other artistic mediums? This means surviving samples aren’t easy to come by. “‘Some of the earliest examples come from Peru, but tie-dye seems to have originated independently all over the world,’ says Lee Talbot, curator of George Washington University’s Textile Museum.” We’ve created this National Tie-Dye Day how-to just for you to celebrate this sacred day to continue the tradition. Not sure which … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Katrina Rodabaugh

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with artist, natural dyer and writer Katrina Rodabaugh who is just launching her third book Make, Thrift, Mend. Watch the recording here: Katrina gave inspiring insight into her path as an artist and natural dyer, how life becomes part of the process, (and how mendingoften represents that), ways we can rethink our clothing, and how natural dyes have been a big part of her Make, Thrift, Mend project. Links: Katrina’s website Katrina’s Instagram page Get her Make, Thrift, Mend and Mending Matters books here on our site. From the Katrina Rodabaugh Studios site: “I’m a … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Jennifer Steverson

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Jennifer Steverson is a multidisciplinary artist, independent scholar and writer based in Austin, Texas. The agricultural and craft traditions of Black American culture is at the heart of her practice. Watch the video recording here: Jennifer’s site is newly up with lots more info to come but shop these beautiful risographs she talked about during her presentation. How can you find out more about The Great Migration and your town or city’s story? Start with local historical museums! The Sanborn Maps Jennifer used for research Interesting projects, books, film and organizations Jennifer said to check … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Ice Dyeing with Cara Marie Piazza

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY, (our 50th episode!) was on ice dyeing with natural dye high priestess Cara Marie Piazza. Watch the video recording here: Cara Marie Piazza creates one of a kind textiles only using natural dye stuffs such as botanicals, plant matter, minerals, non-toxic metals and food wastes. She treats her fabrics through alchemical dye sessions, ancient shibori techniques and bundle dyeing, transforming each textile into its very own story. She works with both designers and artists to realize their natural dyeing needs as well as creates custom pieces for private clients. Cara teaches workshops on natural dyeing (including … Read more

Construction Techniques with Aboubakar Fofana: Create a Pair of Stripcloth Trousers

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Indigo Master Dyer Aboubakar Fofana

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with indigo master dyer and multidisciplinary artist Aboubakar Fofana. Aboubakar is based in Mali and France and updated us on his latest projects including cotton cultivation in Mali. He also talked about his indigo farm, exhibits and the workshops he is teaching with Botanical Colors this spring and summer. Watch the video recording here: Shop the Finimugu (Malian Strip Cloth) Aboubakar talked about and showed us beautiful images of here. If you don’t know indigo master dyer Aboubakar Fofana, he is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose working mediums include calligraphy, textiles and natural dyes. … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Textile Conservation + Natural Dyes

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was on textile conservation and preservation using natural dyes. Watch the video recording here: We were joined by Robin Hanson who has managed the textile conservation lab at the Cleveland Museum of Art for the past 21 years, Nancy Britton, Conservator Emeritus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and whose specialty is upholstery conservation, and Kate Smith, owner of Eaton Hill Textile Works and director of the Marshfield School of Weaving in Marshfield, Vermont. Many thanks to Robin for coordinating this powerhouse presentation of women working hard for years in their respective fields. … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Kassia St Clair

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with journalist, color historian and author of The Secret Lives of Color, Kassia St Clair. The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. Kassia went into detail about five of those colors. … Read more