Page 11 – Botanical Colors

five silver dye rings on a tan fabric background

Yarn Dye Rings

Yarn Dye Rings Sold in sets of 5 rings. Our 7 inch dye rings are a secret weapon for dyers who want to keep their skeins as organized as possible when yarn processing. These handy 7″ dye rings are perfect for holding skeins, wet or dry, for dyeing or for display. They are ideal for organizing yarn for mordanting and dyeing to avoid tangles and all that fussing that we do trying to make the dyed skein look nice again. The rings are 7 inches in diameter with a self hook closure and are made of aluminum. Each ring will … Read more

Rich Purple Logwood

We are carrying a specialty-grade Rich Purple Logwood that yields a brighter, deeper, and richer purple shade, especially on wool and silk fibers. Logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum) originates from the Yucatan region of Mexico. It is naturalized throughout Central America and parts of the Caribbean. It was also known as Palo de Campeche or Campeche wood. Like cochineal, logwood extract was one of the valuable dyes from the New World. As a result, Spain and England went to war over regions that were lush with logwood trees in an effort to control the lucrative logwood dye trade. Logwood yields a rich, … Read more

Organic Henna Powder

Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus Lawsonia. Along with its natural textile dye properties, henna is also used for hair dye and mehndi, the South Asian art of henna imagery for ceremonies and celebrations. Henna is also popular in North Africa, and Henna is often used in North Africa to create organic indigo vats. It serves the same function as fructose to reduce the vat, and creates a very rich and deep blue shade that lasts and … Read more

Fruit Sugar – Fructose Powder

Fructose powder is sugar derived from fruits and plants. We use fructose to make an indigo vat that does not require lye or chemical reducing agents such as thiourea dioxide or sodium hydrosulfite. This is a food grade product that looks like fine sugar and is used as a reducing agent, and yes, it is sweet but we don’t recommend using it in your coffee! You will be delighted how simple and easy it is to make an indigo vat using fructose. Other traditional recipes often took a number of days but this is a quick and easy method. See … Read more

Himalayan Rhubarb Extract Powder

Himalayan rhubarb extract is a traditional natural dye from the Himalayan mountains between India and Bhutan. The plant grows in altitudes from 3-5000 meters. It yields a deep golden yellow color from its rhizomes with an alum mordant. Shifts in pH will create more yellow or nearly brick red colors. 100g of Himalayan rhubarb extract will dye approximately 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of fiber. For detailed instructions on how to use it, please see our page on natural dye extracts. Himalayan Rhubarb seems to work best on wool fibers. But we have seen it look pretty glorious on plant-based fibers … Read more

Whole Cochineal Insects

Whole Cochineal Insects 100g of Whole Cochineal Insects will dye about 900 grams (2 pounds) of fiber to a deep red shade. For detailed instructions, please see our page on dyeing with cochineal. Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect that invades the nopal cactus and is about the size of a grain of rice with a silvery purple hue. The best cochineal is dark and full of carminic acid. We obtain only the finest grade cochineal on the market. You will also need a small amount of Cream of Tartar for the extraction process. Cochineal is one of the … Read more

Organic Soybeans

Organic whole soybeans are used to make soy milk for applying ochres and pigments to cloth. For complete instructions on the traditional Japanese method of using soy milk, check out John Marshall’s website page on soymilk and instructions are also included in his book: Singing the Blues. Instructions are on page 80. Learn more about John Marshall in his FEEDBACK FRIDAY video. From our Feedback Friday series: I am trying to paint cotton fabric with the indigo dye ink I purchased. I thickened with Gum Arabica and all looked great, but it washed out after drying. Then, I tried spreading soy milk first, … Read more

Pomegranate Extract

Pomegranate extract (Punica granatum), is known as anaar in India and granado in Spain. It grows wild in India, Italy, North Africa and China. The pomegranate also serves as a symbol in many cultures. It is a common motif in Christianity, the fruit of choice on the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, and a recurring token in Greek and Roman mythology. It continues to serve a symbolic purpose in Greek culture, showing up in weddings, funerals, new home purchases, and the new year, serving as a symbol for abundance, fertility, and good luck. Some use pomegranate extract as both a tannin-rich … Read more

Wattle Extract

Wattle is a member of the Acacia family. People use it extensively in leather tanning as it works very well for even coverage and penetration of skins and pelts for tanning. Australia, South Africa and India grow most wattle. They most commonly extract the Black Wattle to create the dye. Natural dyers use wattle extract as one of the rich tannins to create iron-based grays and blacks or to overdye with indigo to create interesting muted greens. The color is a beige with a pink cast. Additionally, it has a characteristic toasty wood smell. For more information on how to … Read more

Logwood Chips

Our logwood is in sawdust/wood chip form. Use repeatedly until there is no more color. 100g of logwood chips will dye approximately 600g (24 ounces) of fiber a deep purple shade. There will be enough dye leftover for exhaust baths. For more detailed instructions, please visit our page on logwood chips here. Logwood chips yield a rich, deep purple and we source ours from sustainably managed farms. Logwood by itself is not particularly lightfast, so keep from bright sunlight. Its lightfastness increases and the color darkens to a near black with added iron. If your water is neutral or acidic, … Read more