FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions (Red Edition)

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 really want to get a deep red what should I use?  These instructions are for wool or silk.  This color is trickier to achieve on cotton or linen. If available, use filtered, distilled or reverse osmosis water for the dye bath. Scour fibers well and mordant at 20% aluminum sulfate and let the fibers soak in … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

Image: Honest Alchemy 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 dyeing logwood on wool and only getting a brown color-what is happening? The rich purple color from logwood can be affected by cream of tartar. If you normally mordant with cream of tartar, try omitting it in the mordant process. You may also enhance logwood by adding a pinch (less than 1/8th … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Wild Pigment Project

This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Wild Pigment Project. Here’s the Zoom recording: Wild Pigment Project supports the global art community to use pigments that reflect values of racial, economic, and ecological equity for all, by fostering a network of artists, foragers, designers, craftspersons, scientists, farmers, researchers, ecologists and others passionate about wild pigments.  The project aspires to provide generous resources to facilitate learning about land stewardship through ethically gathered botanical, mineral and waste-stream-derived materials used to make paint, ink and dye. Head to Wild Pigment Project and enjoy Tilke’s site for so many resources … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Overwintering An Indigo Vat

We get lots of emails from customers about challenges with dyeing and needing Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori’s help. Why not share the learning so we can all benefit? From our inboxes to you, it’s simple: You Asked, Kathy Answered. Email [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I’ve moved to a new place and don’t have room to bring my buckets of indigo indoors for the winter (Seattle area). I’m pretty sure that I will need to re-start any ferment in the spring, but will my indigo vat survive otherwise? Somewhat of a beginner here. KATHY ANSWERED: Survivability … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: What’s The Indigo Setup?

We get lots of emails from customers about challenges with dyeing and needing Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori’s help. Why not share the learning so we can all benefit? From our inboxes to you, it’s simple: You Asked, Kathy Answered. Email questions@botanicalcolors with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I’m trying to set up my indigo vat finally (I purchased materials from your store months back). My only confusion is whether or not I need to purchase a stainless pot to do the initial 180-190 degree temperature rise? I don’t have one, and have a 5 gallon bucket I was … Read more

Sunday Visit: Exploring Korean Bojagi With Youngmin Lee

For this week’s Sunday Visit, we catch up with Youngmin Lee, a textile artist that uses the bojagi tradition and techniques to create her work. After she moved to California in 1996, she actively worked on preserving the Korean bojagi tradition that embodies the philosophy of recycling and up-cycling. She is currently working closely with the Asian American community on community engaged projects and workshops at the Asian Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Saint Louis Art Museum. Her new book, Bojagi: The Art of Korean Textiles with Techniques and Projects, is coming out in 2024. Obviously, … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: The Botanical Reclamation Project

Today, June 18th, we had such a special FEEDBACK FRIDAY treat with Guelph, Ontario based artist Anita Cazzola. Anita not only played banjo and sang our FEEDBACK FRIDAY theme song with her partner Sam, we got to hear her talk about her Botanical Reclamation project. Anita just launched her project which celebrates the resiliency of wild plants through naturally dyed textiles. The project also offers the community a chance to learn about local plant life, and the natural dye process through self-guided walks, weekly scavenger hunts, project livestreams, workshops, question and answer sessions, and artist talks with the help of … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Highlights Video of 2020 (And Happy New Year!)

A FEEDBACK FRIDAY Highlights video? Yes! For 36 weeks, Kathy and I have brought you FEEDBACK FRIDAY where weekly we speak with dyers, artists, scientists and scholars about our favorite topic, natural dyeing and color. Curated and presented by Botanical Colors’ Founder Kathy Hattori and me, Amy DuFault, Botanical Colors’ Sustainability and Social Media Director, what started out as a way to connect with our community during the pandemic has turned into what’s almost like church for the thousands who have shown up. It’s pretty special to Kathy and I too. What inspiration have we garnered this year learning how … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: 1-2-3 Indigo Vat

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was on the famous 1-2-3 indigo vat! Presenting this week? The best of the best, Botanical Colors Founder/President Kathy Hattori joined by Botanical Colors’ team member Kate Rosendale. Watch the video recording here: We get more questions about indigo than any other dye, so we decided to update our online information and also do a deep dive into the variations of the recipe based on Michel Garcia’s 1-2-3 indigo vat. we did some pretty extensive experiments with  fructose, henna and iron that you won’t want to miss. Botanical Colors’ team member Kate Rosendale and Kathy tested … Read more