Mordant Monday: brat

Using weld and indigo, you can get awfully close to this new, exciting color! This is the basic recipe Start with a mordanted cotton bandana, soak it in warm water for 30 minutes to thoroughly wet it out, and dip in a very light indigo vat. You want to lightest, sky blue shade. Let it oxidize and rinse well. Next, measure 8% weld extract, 2% calcium carbonate and 2% soda ash. If you want to know the dry weight, the bandana is about 34 grams. Carefully dissolve and mix the ingredients together. Add the dye mix to a dye pot … Read more

Buckthorn Berry Extract

Buckthorn (Rhamnus saxatilis)Β is also known as Persian Berry. This is a strong, warm yellow dye extract that combines well with other dyes to create gold, green and orange. We use buckthorn extract at 5% wof for wool and cotton and got very rich shades, and you can increase the amount of dye up to 10% for a more brilliant shade. Both animal and plant fibers take the dye well and buckthorn also shifts to a rich olive shade when iron (ferrous sulfate) is used at 1% wof as a post bath. Use up the exhaust dye bath with other mordanted … Read more

Test Dyeing in Detroit With Lazlo

This week we are in Detroit, dipping indigo with Lazlo, an apparel brand run by a sibling duo in Detroit. So exciting! Lazlo is taking the most familiar items in a man’s wardrobe and rethinking each step of the manufacturing process to consider its impact on local economies and the environment. The result is a premium t-shirt with a lifetime guarantee. Check outΒ this interview we had with them back in August and see more of our indigo exploration this week below.  

Java Handspun Cotton Scarf

Java handspun cotton scarf is a lightweight handspun, handwoven traditional textile from Tuban, East Java, Indonesia. These beautiful scarves are from our friends at Threads of Life, in Ubud, Bali. Created from locally grown cotton and woven on a backstrap loom, this elegant and simple scarf is perfect for gifting or as a base for natural dyes. Β It takes natural colors and indigo beautifully and is perfect for a casual evening or beach wrap. We scoured the scarf to remove starch and wax and it is now ready for an indigo or mordant bath. Β The scarf has twisted fringes and … Read more

Sally Fox Sea Island Cotton Lawn Fabric

The fabric is 46.5 inches wide and is sold by the yard (36 inches). Sally Fox worked with Taishobo in Japan to make this super fine Sea Island Cotton Lawn fabric for fine shirts and dresses and we are thrilled to offer it. We really love how this fabric is the product of years of selected breeding, beautiful, organic fiber and excellent manufacturing. Sea Island cotton boasts one of the longest staple lengths of any cotton in the world, yielding a silky and very soft hand. It is an exceptionally rare luxury cotton as only a tiny amount is cultivated … Read more

SOLD OUT Oaxaca Tour: A Journey into the World of Zapotec Traditions

Join Botanical Colors on a tour of Oaxaca and A Journey into the World of Zapotec Traditions! Join Botanical Colors for an indigenous-focused tour of Oaxaca, Mexico through Ancestros, Porfirio GutiΓ©rrez’s Indigenous-owned and managed travel company. Oaxaca is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse areas of the country, with deep ties to ancient cultures and a rich practice of textiles, color and traditions. Our trip highlights include time studio time dyeing with cochineal as well as textile-focused visits with village artisans, time to learn, practice and make textiles, and visits to important, historic spiritual sites, all guided by … Read more

50% OFF!!! Cara Marie Piazza Online Class Bundle – Cosmic Nebula, Gravity Ice Dyeing & Back to Black

Cara Marie Piazza – Online Class Bundle It’s hot, you want cool and beautiful projects. Β We got you covered. This summer, we are discounting our best-selling Cara Marie Piazza workshops. Purchase all three and get half off. These are great workshops to learn a variety of surface dye techniques for your summer dye parties and creative projects. By purchasing the workshop bundle you will receive THREE PDF downloads with Vimeo links and 90-day access to each workshop. We are working on some special new classes behind the scenes, so this offer will only be available for a limited time! The … Read more

Seed Collecting Kit by June & December

We are excited to present a new product line with June & December, a nature-inspired design studio based in Michigan. We know we have a lot of gardeners, bundle dyers and eco printers in our community, so we wanted to equip you with beautiful and useful tools you need for this gardening season. These beautiful glass vials are so handy: save seeds, collect floral findings, or even mineral pigments! At the end of the season, harvesting seeds for the next year is important. This kit is perfect to help you collect and preserve seeds for the next growing season. June … Read more

Ground Madder Root

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

NEW CLASS! Colors of the Prairie at Scattergood Friends School

Our 2 day classΒ Colors of the Prairie at Scattergood Friends School, a Quaker boarding school in West Branch, Iowa on June 27 and 28 is coming up! Scattergood is about 3.5 hours outside of Chicago, 1.5 hours from Des Moines and 15 minutes from Iowa City. Using low water and sustainable methods, we will be roaming Scattergood’s restored prairie and farm in search of interesting dye materials to create pieces that evoke a time and place. An organic indigo vat will add layers and complexity to our pieces. Lodging and meals are available for a song – $50 in addition … Read more