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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: Do you have any tips on getting a crimson red on cotton from cochineal? Been trying so many different ways and can’t get the concentration to stay! The majority of the historical recipes for very deep and bright red on cotton use madder, not cochineal. Your best bet if you want the deepest shade on cotton is … Read more

Kathrin Von Rechenberg’s Tea Silk a Well-Preserved Gem

“Tea silk considered one of the most well-preserved gems in Chinese silk craftsmanship. Originating from the Ming Dynasty, this fabric was once considered the most luxurious silk. The ’30s became the gilded age for xiangyunsha (the Chinese name for tea silk, also called langchou)—more expensive than gold, it was among the most desired goods by Southeast Asian aristocrats, and in China it became an icon of local urban elites. At that time, Shunde, the birthplace of tea silk on the Pearl River Delta, counted more than 500 factories. Unavoidably, the Cultural Revolution saw it as a symbol of capitalism and … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Fish Skin Tanner + Dyer Lotta Nelson-Rahme

Last week we welcomed world-renowned fish skin tanner and dyer, Sweden-based Lotta Nelson-Rahme. Lotta took us on an interesting journey into how she got into tanning and her travels around the world in search of knowledge. She also showed some leather work and a spotlight on an exhibition she recently made to honor and thank the women who share their knowledge with her. Lotta also went into more detail about tanning fish skins and how she dyes the skins using heather, rhubarb, pine cones and iron. We got lots of emails and messages on social media about how much you … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Feedback on natural dye books to add to your reference library and what’s the deal with Singapore indigo mold?

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting Cotton & Freezing Clothes

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Hair Dyeing, Dog Toys & Sticky Angora

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] (Image: The Dogwood Dyer) YOU ASKED: Hi there! I’m interested in your products, particularly the cochineal, and I’m wondering if I can use it for dyeing my hair. If so, do the same instructions work that are listed here? I’ve seen The Dogwood Dyer’s instructions here and it sounds like she’s putting the alum directly in the dye. I’d like to achieve a pink color like what she did. I’d so appreciate if you could help me understand exactly how … Read more

Easy Print Paste Thickener Tutorial

Designs and prints come to life with mordant printing using Botanical Colors Print Paste Thickener and this tutorial! If you don’t follow Arielle Toelke, Designer + Creator of Four Rabbit, you’re missing out! With a background in art, Arielle creates a line of goods that are both graphic and fun. We’ve been friends with her for years and also gotten to know her as one of our customers using our dyes and assists to make some pretty exciting, graphically pleasing surface designs. We asked Arielle to write an easy-to-use print paste thickener tutorial, sent her some of our print paste … Read more

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 am fascinated with natural dyes and eager to start learning but the problem is that I don’t know where to even start. Do you have any advice on how to get started, is there a book you could recommend, or anything like that? I want to eventually do a studio day class with you, but would … Read more

Sunday Visit: California Dreaming with Jody Alexander

For this week’s Sunday Visit, we catch up with California-based mixed media artist Jody Alexander. Jody is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Santa Cruz and Penn Valley, California. She combines textiles, paper, found items and imagery to create books, objects, wall pieces, garments, and installations. Her current work is inspired by the art of repair, reuse, imagery and stories encountered in her travels and everyday. We’re so excited that Jody will also be our LAST Botanical Colors class of this year BUT the first in our new studio space. Yes, we’ll be teaching in real life … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Substantive dyes and checking the pH of your vat