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On Makers Row: Eco-Friendly Factories: How Do You Know Your Manufacturer Is Green?

Check out our guest post on Makers Row! As consumers increasingly look for transparency around the making and sourcing of the products they purchase, designers are striving to meet that need not only the conception of the product, but the manufacturing. While finding the perfect, environmentally-friendly fabric poses a challenge that’s equal parts fun and gratifying, locating a factory that adheres to sustainable practices can prove more daunting. So what are the key things you need to know when identifying the factory that keeps your production process green? We spoke to Kathy Hattori of natural dye studio Botanical Colors, a … Read more

VIDEO: Botanical Colors Talks Invasive Plants + Color

For this year’s New York Textile Month, the team at Botanical Colors talked about Invasive Plants + Color. Invasive plants, we see them roadside, in highway medians, standing as sentries in drought-tolerant fields and abandoned lots. We call them “invasive,” adversely affecting the habitats and beneficial plants we do want to thrive. The fact is, they’re not going anywhere so what if we worked with them to create color on textiles? Join the Botanical Colors team as they take you through a visual journey from Seattle to Cape Cod to share experiences and recent color journeys with this type of … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Botanical Colors founder Kathy Hattori with her own musings and color recipes inspired by The Art and Science of Natural Dyes by Joy Boutrup and Catharine Ellis

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: the power of iron, dyeing with liquid dyes and can you dye synthetics with natural dyes?

Sunday Visit: In The Mountains of North Carolina With Catharine Ellis

Thanks for spending some time with us today for this special Sunday Visit with Catharine Ellis. You might know Catharine Ellis as the author of what many call their “natural dye bible” The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results. Co-written with textile engineer and chemist Joy Boutrup, the book is a comprehensive guide that explains the general principles of natural dyeing. We’re excited that she just launched a companion to this in the form of The Studio Formulas Set for The Art and Science of Natural Dyes. Catharine has been a weaver and a natural dyer … Read more

blue and white fabric dyed with radiating white circles

How To Make 3 Easy Shibori Resists

These three, easy shibori techniques work best with indigo, but can be used with other natural dyes as well. With all three techniques, before you begin, prepare your workspace for a messy process. Cover the surface you plan to work on with something you don’t mind getting wet and dirty and wear an apron and gloves. The Scrunch Dye your fabric in your dye of choice! After dyeing, rinse the bundle gently. Then remove the rubber bands and open up the fabric bundle. Rinse again until the water runs clear. Air dry away from direct sunlight. The Honeycomb Dampen your … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Indigo with Maryland Institute College of Art

This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring the Indigo Shade Map with the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative. Watch the video here: The Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative brings together multiple agencies, including the Maryland Institute College of Art, as well as artists and designers to explore the cultural and economic impacts of growing, processing and using natural dyes in the greater Baltimore region. As part one in a 3-part series, we took a look at a newly created Indigo Shade Map, an evolving online, interactive site that maps the locations, … 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?

Sunday Visit: Porfirio Gutiérrez & The Responsibility of Tradition

This week for Sunday Visit , we catch up with Porfirio Gutiérrez, a Contemporary Zapotec American textile artist based in Ventura, California, and Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. Porfirio Gutiérrez comes from a long line of traditional Zapotec weavers, and his art practice remains dedicated to the deep knowledge and spiritual dimensions of his ancestors. He uses traditional Zapotec knowledge of dyes and materials and reinterprets Zapotec weaving language to create pieces that speak to his creative vision of the complexity of the Americas. The story of his art has been told in The New York Times, PBS, and the BBC … Read more

RECIPE: A Coral Natural Dye Recipe To Sing You Into Spring

This is a Botanical Colors coral natural dye recipe for a classic, madder color in a soft salmon hue guaranteed to sing you into spring. Dyer’s notes: You can use the same coral natural dye recipe for animal or plant fibers. We recommend mordanting to achieve the best results. Your mordant options are aluminum potassium sulfate (for animal fibers), or aluminum acetate or symplocos (for plant fibers). Symplocos is an alum bioaccumulator from dried leaves and we’ve used it successfully on both animal and plant fibers. In its native Indonesia, it’s used mostly on plant fibers. Step 1 – Weigh … Read more