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MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting To Make Green

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 just ordered both logwood and weld and want to get purple and green on wool yarn based on this information on your site. Do I need to do some pre-mordanting with alum? The website has the intriguing recommendation to use a bit of soda ash with neutral water, to get a better purple. Does this mean an acid pre-mordant would not be advised? It’s hand spun wool for warp so would be better slightly acidic rather than … Read more

Sunday Visit: Some Kind Of Blue with Kenya Miles of Blue Light Junction

Every Sunday, Botanical Colors sits down for an interview with a luminary in the natural dye, textile and art world. Grab a cup of tea and settle in to learning about someone you never knew! Catch up on all our Sunday Visits here. This week’s Sunday Visit we catch up with Kenya Miles, to have a deep and meaningful conversation around what the color blue means. How Blue Light Junction came to be and how through community and craft we can hold space for each other to learn to learn. We had a wonderful phone interview that honestly left me … Read more

‘Rebirthing’ Clothing Through Upcycling & Natural Dyeing to Reduce Carbon

Author Bronte Hogarth pens a story for 1 Million Women on natural dyeing and giving old clothing a new look. We agree with her 100%! Did you know that by “rebirthing clothes through upcycling, you could save an estimated CO2 Saving of 12kg per month (120kg per year), just by extending the life of your clothing?” Neither did we. Now it makes us want to get some vats going immediately and get others addicted to natural dyeing! Read the full story here on 1 Million Women. Image: 1 Million Women

Annatto & Hibiscus Dyed Easter Eggs

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

Using Your Hands To Make & Heal The Brain

For Mental Health Awareness Month, a few stories on how using your hands to make can help heal the brain. Women have innately basked their brains in feel good juices since time immemorial to get through tight economic and emotional times. Though dovetailed as woman’s work and not really discussed, for centuries women have enjoyed the calming properties of natural dyeing, knitting, sewing, embroidering or even just rhythmically folding or ironing clothes. In 2011, working as editor of an online magazine, I came across a blog post from sustainable designer and writer Natalie Chanin. It not only piqued my perception … Read more

Sweet Peach Creates Natural Dyes For Home DIY

We love discovering new blogs that tackle natural dyeing. Sweet Peach is one of our new favorites and had us when we just saw kids in the kitchen. Kids never stop wanting to create and play and what better than to bring common household items into the fold to create with! Check out this great blog post they did using Tumeric, coffee, blackberries, tea, beets, red cabbage, berries and spinach -these ladies had a blast. Check out this blog post to see their results and if you’re looking for an all in one kit, look no further than one of … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordant With Liquid Dye + Reusing Baths

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Should I mordant (alum is my go to) for your liquid dye indigo? I have read that it is not a needed step but also don’t want to dye without alum and make a big mistake. Hoping you can clarify please!! KATHY ANSWERED: Thanks for your email and the question. The liquid indigo, also called Saxon Blue, was developed in the 1700s to dye wool. We recommend that you mordant and alum is perfect prior to dyeing, … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Indigo & Discharging Mordants

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: My question involves the processes of indigo dyeing when combined with other plant dyes that have been mordanted with aluminum acetate. My understanding is that citric acid discharges the mordant and also neutralizes the alkalinity of indigo as a last step in finishing indigo dyed cloth. How would you go about neutralizing indigo without discharging mordant? For some processes, I am wanting to use indigo on top of other colors rather than underneath. Can vinegar be used … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Painting silk fabrics with liquid dyes

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

Each week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community asking simple and complex questions that we thought might be worth sharing. Here are a handful from this week answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors: I have been printing with dye extracts on silk. My question is- once the fabric is mordanted, dunged, dyed, and steamed, can I over-dye the fabric without going through the mordant process again? You don’t need to remordant for additional overdyeing. If it’s been a long time between the initial dyeing and overdyeing, (like several years), then … Read more