Page 10 – Botanical Colors

Organic Indigo

Organic indigo is a powder from the leaves of the indigo plant called Indigofera tinctoria. It is one of the oldest dyes known to humankind. It is also the only natural blue dye. Its colorant is present in other plants including woad (Isatis tinctoria) and Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), a buckwheat. Additionally, it is present in Strobilanthes cusia, a distant cousin to the ornamental Persian Shield that you can buy at Home Depot. Indigo pigment was used to dye shrouds for Egyptian burials, uniforms for Napoleon’s Army and has also been used to dye prestige cloth for African chiefs and … Read more

Wheat Bran Mordant Assist

We like to use wheat bran mordant assist with aluminum acetate. It contains minerals that help enhance the aluminum acetate mordant and brighten dye colors. Complete instructions are available here. Wheat bran baths can be used several times before discarding. Their enzymes are also useful to remove starch from fibers. Wheat bran is the outer layer (pericarp) of the wheat kernel. It is the part that gets removed when processing wheat grains into white flour. Bran is high in fiber for dietary purposes but provides a different function altogether when used for mordanting. A note for gluten allergies: Wheat bran … Read more

Ground Myrobalan Pods

Ground Myrobalan pods (Terminalia chebula) are a commonly used dye throughout India. The trees grow primarily in the foothills of the Himalayas. They are upright upright tree with small oval leaves and lovely bright yellow flowers. Dyers in India historically use myrobalan as a primary component for cotton dyeing. Additionally, dyers often use it as a mordant prior to creating brown and black on cotton fabrics. Myrobalan extract overdyed with indigo makes a beautiful teal color. Using higher percentages of myrobalan yields a brownish yellow. The lower percentages yield a light buff color. This dye is the finely ground pods … Read more

Aquarelle Pomegranate Liquid

Liquid Pomegranate is an easy to use liquid natural dye. It creates a bronze yellow or a beautiful olive green shade with iron. For detailed instructions, please visit our page on how to use liquid dyes. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is known as anaar in India and granado in Spain. It grows wild in India, Italy, North Africa and China. People use pomegranate in India as both a tannin-rich mordant and as a dye. Each Aquarelle liquid natural dye is pre-extracted from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source. They combine easily. In addition, they produce beautiful shades. Thicken with … Read more

Aquarelle Myrobalan Liquid

Aquarelle Myrobalan Liquid is an easy to use liquid natural dye that creates a soft butter yellow color. For information on how to use it, please see our liquid dye instruction page. Each Aquarelle liquid natural dye is pre-extracted from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source. In addition, they combine easily and produce beautiful shades. Thicken with print paste thickener. After that, use for printing, painting and other surface design applications. People commonly use myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) as a dye throughout India. It grows primarily in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is an upright tree with small … Read more

Aquarelle Tannin Liquid

Aquarelle Tannin Liquid is an easy to use liquid natural dye that is considered a “light” tannin. Liquid tannin comes from gall nuts, which contain approximately 50-60% tannin. When used as a mordant, it does not significantly alter the color of other natural dyes. It creates a soft purple color with iron or a light buff by itself. For more details, please see our page on how to use liquid dyes. Each Aquarelle liquid natural dye is pre-extracted from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source. They combine easily and produce beautiful shades. Thicken with print paste thickener. After … Read more

Aquarelle Madder Liquid

Historically, madder is one of the oldest natural dyes. People grew madder since 1500 BC in Central Asia and the Middle East. The red color comes from the root of the plant. The plants are usually harvested after 2 to 3 years growth. Aquarelle madder liquid is an easy to use liquid natural dye that creates a rich clear red on natural fibers. 50 grams of liquid dye will dye approximately 500 grams (1.1 lbs) of fiber a red shade. For details on how to dye with liquid madder, please visit our page on liquid dyes. Each Aquarelle liquid natural … Read more

Aquarelle Cutch Liquid

Aquarelle Cutch Liquid (Acacia catechu) is the rich reddish brown color seen in Indian textiles. It is both a dyestuff and tanning agent and has been used in India since ancient times. Aquarelle cutch liquid is an easy to use liquid natural dye that creates a soft brown. Alum mordants tend to turn cutch yellow. So if you are seeking a deep chocolate shade, mordant with iron. After that, dye with 20% cutch on the weight of fiber (WOF) for a beautiful brown shade. For more details on using liquid cutch, please see our how to page on liquid dyes. … Read more

Aquarelle Himalayan Rhubarb Liquid

Aquarelle Himalayan Rhubarb Liquid is an easy to use liquid natural dye that creates a beautiful gold or brown on natural fibers. Shifts in pH will create more yellow or nearly brick red colors. It makes a wonderful olive green when combined with Saxon Blue in the dye pot. For more information on using liquid dyes, please see our how to page. Please note: Aquarelle Himalayan rhubarb liquid works best with wool and protein fibers, and is less intense on cellulose fibers. Himalayan rhubarb is a traditional natural dye from the Himalayan mountains between India and Bhutan. The plant grows … Read more

Tara Powder

Tara is the Quecha word for the shrubby tree Caesalpinia tinctoria, native to South America. Tara seeds are used as a food grade thickener and the pods have traditional medicinal uses. The pods are also the source of the dye. Tara powder is widely used as a light-colored tannin in the leather industry. It has a high gallic acid tannin content between 30 and 50% tannins, making it ideal for mordanting. Like many high tannin dyes, it has a pleasant, tea-like aroma. We like to use tara for gray and purple by adding iron to the dye pot. For more … Read more