Page 12 – Botanical Colors

Ground Madder Root

We carry ground madder (Rubia cordifolia), that looks and smells amazing. Quality ground roots make dyeing with this ancient dye easy. You do not need to chop up the soaked roots. To use, just soak and proceed to dyeing. Our ground madder yields a beautiful deep yellow-based red. We like to soak the roots, add fiber and simmer at low temperatures to develop the deep rich color. A small amount of citric acid and calcium carbonate allow you to get the richest shades from our madder roots. 100g of ground madder root will dye 100g (3.5 ounces) of fiber to … Read more

Osage Orange Sawdust

Osage orange (Maclura pomifora) is native to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas but has naturalized throughout many other states. It has a yellow heartwood sometimes streaked with red that makes a bright and lightfast yellow dye. Osage was one of the dyes used to make khaki colored uniforms during the first World War. In addition, it was also used as windbreaks called shelterbelts that held down the soil during the great Dust Bowl of the 1920s and 30s. Osage orange trees made natural fence posts in the Great Plains region of the US. It is also planted to prevent soil erosion. … Read more

Aquarelle Liquid Indigo – Saxon Blue

The legendary Aquarelle Liquid Indigo – Saxon Blue is now available to natural dyers. First created in Germany in the 1740s, it is made from natural indigo converted with a strong acid to mimic an acid-type dye. It is not a vat dye and you do not use it like vatted indigo. It is an easy and marvelous color for wool fibers. Saxon blue is greener than traditional vatted indigo. In addition, it is a great base for teal, aqua, cornflower, periwinkle, lilac and medium value purple. To use, simply measure out the amount of liquid indigo and add to … Read more

Gallo Tannin extract

Gallo tannin extract (sometimes refered to simply as tannin) comes from gall nuts, which contain approximately 50-60% tannin and has a lovely tea-like aroma. The dye is very light, imparting a subtle beige color. Its power comes when it is combined with iron to create silver, gray and black in combination with other dyes. 250g of tannin will mordant approximately 5000g (11 lbs) of goods when used at 5% of the weight of fiber (WOF). For more detailed instructions, please see our page on natural dye extracts. If you are interested in other dyes that have high tannin content, we … Read more

Print Paste Thickener

We use organic print paste thickener (replaces Gum Tragacanth*) as a thickener to paint or print with natural dyes on fabric. In addition, it is an organically certified water-soluble carbohydrate gum mixture. Similarly, it performs very well in thickening dyes and pigments for printing and painting. Print paste thickener will dissolve readily in cold or hot water. After that, it forms a smooth translucent paste to mix with powders or liquids. 250 grams of Organic Print Paste Thickener will make approximately 8 liters (two gallons) of thickened paste for painting or printing with natural dyes. *Gum Tragacanth is currently in … Read more

unused ph strips on a white ceramic dish

pH Indicator Strips

We use pH Indicator Strips to measure the pH of an indigo vat. In other words, they help us determine if we need more acidity or alkalinity to balance the vat. We also use pH strip paper with other dyes to measure the pH range of the dye bath. These are extremely useful tools to quickly check your indigo vat or to determine the pH levels of your water supply. Natural dyes colors may be shifted by adjusting the pH of the dye bath. Therefore, our pH strips come in handy when deciding on increasing or decreasing pH. (35 pH indicator … Read more

Citric Acid

A mild acid in powder form, citric acid originates from citrus fruits. It is used to add acidity to the dyebath and to precipitate the fine lac residue when using powdered lac dye. The acid is also used as an alternative acid with Aquarelle Liquid Natural dyes. From our Feedback Friday series: Is there a way to have the citric acid reaction stay more permanently on the fabric with washing? I use citric acid while dyeing some stuff and it reacts with the dye creating pink shades onto the fabric. When I wash the fabric on a gentle wash, it’s … Read more

Soda Ash

Soda ash (SA), also known as sodium carbonate, is a workhorse in the dye studio. It is an easy way to add alkalinity to a dyebath to modify its shade. For example, when added to a madder dye bath, soda ash will cause it to redden. It is also an easy way to raise the pH of an indigo vat or scour silk fibers. From our Feedback Friday series: Is soda ash the same as washing soda? In other words can I substitute washing soda for use in scouring linen? And do I use the same amount? I want to dye with … Read more

Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate is also referred to as chalk. This dense, white powdery mineral is a common addition to the madder dye bath to deepen shades and is one of the principle minerals that create hard water. It may also be used with weld extract to bring out the bright, rich yellow shades. It is also used as a post-bath for mordanting cellulose fibers with aluminum acetate.

Cellulose Scour

Cellulose Scour (CS) is designed for use with cellulose fibers. It works on cellulose and bast fibers in combination with soda ash and heat and thoroughly cleans cellulose fibers, removing excess wax and other materials that inhibit the takeup of dye. For detailed instructions, visit our page on how to scour. Please note: cellulose scour color may vary from clear to a pale straw. From our Feedback Friday series: I’ve seen some instructions for scouring cellulose fiber that say to just use soda ash. So I’m wondering what the Cellulose Scour adds to the process? CS is a surfactant and helps with … Read more