Page 3 – Botanical Colors

Bojagi – Korean Textile Art Technique, Design And Inspiration

Bojagi – Korean Textile Art: Technique, Design And Inspiration by Sara Cook An exploration of traditional Koran textile art techniques. Our featured May 2025 artist Youngmin Lee contributed examples and pieces in Sara’s book. This is a beautiful publication, lavishly illustrated, and we are pleased to offer it for inspiration! From the publisher Bojagi – Korean Textile Art Technique, Design And Inspiration Bojagi, sometimes called Pojagi, is a traditional Korean textile art. Centuries old, it was originally textiles made for every day living with scraps of left-over fabrics artfully put together. They often resemble works of modern artists such as … Read more

Shades of Maya Blue Paint Kit

Shades of Maya Blue Paint Kit Maya Blue is an ancient blue pigment invented by the Maya and created from indigo and clay. The striking turquoise-teal-green blue shade is associated with the rain god deity Chaak and it serves as a deeply spiritual color of Maya culture. The color is evocative of mist, water, rivers and pools and was used for offerings, sacrifices and rituals for abundant rain and bountiful harvest. Vivid murals dating from 790 CE at Bonampak, (Chiapas, Mexico) show turquoise painted walls that are still rich and beautiful today. The great mystery surrounding Maya Blue was how … Read more

Handwoven square petite pincushion in an orange colored pattern with pins and a small bronze plawue that says Threads of Life

Petite Pincushions from Threads of Life

Petite Pincushions from Threads of Life I love unique, high quality tools and sewing notions, and we are pleased to offer these beautiful, handmade pincushions from Threads of Life that just fit the bill. Small in size and perfect for your travelling sewing kit or for gifts. Each pincushion is handcrafted from traditional handwoven cloth and features ikat or stripe patterns. The colors are Indonesian natural colors (morinda red, indigo blue and dark brown mud dyes) and they are hand stitched. Approximately 2.5″x2.5″ square affixed with a brass Threads of Life logo. Assorted colors and weaves: allow us to select … Read more

ceriops tagal extract from threads of life

Ceriops Dye Extract from Threads of Life

Ceriops Dye Extract from Threads of Life Ceriops tagal, also known as Indian mangrove, is prized for its tannin-rich bark. Mangroves are widely distributed in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia and parts of Australia and the Pacific. They are an important tree in coastal ecosystems. Mangroves are under tremendous environmental stress from herbicide runoff to clear cutting groves for aquaculture. Strong mangrove management is vital to protect them. However, allowing for selective harvest is key to supporting both village economic demands and mangroves. There are controlled mangrove ecosystems that have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for environmental management and protection. It … Read more

Petal Pushers Natural Dye Sock Kit

Petal Pushers Natural Dye Sock Kit We have designed possibly the easiest, most fun and magical natural dye kit to date. This is the perfect gift for a newbie dyer. Simply add water and let magic take its time. Get a few and have a party with friends! It would also make a great stocking stuffer (pun intended) for the holidays. This kit comes with a pair of Mordanted Bamboo Socks, (women’s crew length, size 9-11) and a generous sprinkling of our logwood chips, organically grown marigolds and ground madder roots. Sometimes we’ll add in a few fun accents like … Read more

Organically Grown Sulfur Cosmos Flowers

Organically Grown Sulfur Cosmos Flowers This year’s crop comes from Kara Gilbert of Vibrant Valley Farm! Sulfur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) is a member of the cosmos family. It is a real treat to have in the natural dye garden. This is another New World native, indigenous to Mexico and Central America. The vigorous annual readily self-seeds, attracts pollinators and yields masses of bright orange flowers. You can use them either fresh or dried. Add the Organically Grown Sulfur Cosmos Flowers directly into the dye bath and watch as they make a wonderful, sunny orange shade that brightens the winter palette, … Read more

Black Hollyhock

We’ve unearthed our stash of Black Hollyhock blossoms and are eager to kick off some summer dyeing projects. Black hollyhock is a bit of a grandstander – all beautiful and lush and deeply pigmented blossoms that can be fragile in terms of wash and lightfastness. And for the color? It’s like a grand science experiment as well as somewhat unpredictable whether you will achieve a purple, a blue, a gray or a green. However, they are all lovely colors and it’s always a virtuous exercise in learning how to let go a bit as the color mellows and changes with … Read more

Organically Grown Marigold Flowers

We love how marigold makes a beautiful and easy color that captures summer even when the weather is cold and gray. As a familiar garden plant, they brighten flower borders and are a companion plant in organic gardening. The marigold (Tagetes erecta) is native to Central America. The Aztecs used it as a flavoring ingredient for cacao and it was important in Aztec rituals. In Mexico, marigold is also referred to as “Flor de Muertos” (Flowers of the Dead) and used in the Dia de Muertos festivals and ceremonies. The deeply scented and brightly colored Mexican marigold is believed to … Read more

Image of whole yellow onion with flaking onion skin

Onion Skins

Sold in 50g packages. Onion skins are such a beautiful dyestuff and gift from the kitchen. They are often one of the first natural dyestuffs used with new dyers and in classrooms. We remove the brown papery peels when we’re cooking and tuck them away until we have enough for a dye bath. In the dye pot, the smell of onions evoke a pot of soup simmering on the stove. The color yield is a warm gold to rust to green and depends on the onion skin color, how much you use and if you use iron in the dye … Read more

The Easy 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Kit

The Easy 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Kit The 1-2-3 fructose indigo vat is one of our most popular vats for its ease of use and good, strong colors. We made things easy to start your new indigo adventure with this kit that has enough pre-measured indigo and auxiliaries to make a rich vat in a 5-gallon bucket. We’re also including 4 22 inch cotton bandanas that you can dip. The bundle is packaged in an organic cotton bag, that can also be dyed! Experiment with gradation dyeing, shibori, or get into the indigo master groove and dip a piece of fabric … Read more