Page 67 – Botanical Colors

Fil au Chinois Waxed Linen Thread Cards

Before there were wooden and plastic thread spools, there were thread cards. These threads are decoratively wrapped around a Fil au Chinois cardboard holder in a beautiful star pattern and come in saturated bright colors. Each color has a different depiction of the Fil au Chinois character. Choose from 6 individual colors or a six pack of all the colors. Available online only. $9.00 each or $46 for the set of 6 Color Golden Yellow $9.00 USDOrange $9.00 USDGarnet $9.00 USDRed $9.00 USDRose $9.00 USDAzure $9.00 USD6 Pack $46.00 USD

Cyber Monday

When you read about Cyber Monday, one thinks of people glued to their computers, madly clicking away and purchasing plasma screen TV sets and oodles of electronica that are ON SALE for Cyber Monday through all the major retailers. Instead, why not celebrate Cyber Monday with a handmade gift? There are some wonderful sites out there with amazing gifts from Fair Trade and artisan crafts where your purchase will really make a difference. Of particular note is Hand/Eye Magazine, which has a website devoted to artisan crafts called “12 Small Things”. It’s a carefully curated collection of exquisite gifts from … Read more

Holiday gift ideas

Looking for gift ideas for the serious textile artist? That can sometimes be tricky, but here are some objects that we’ve chosen for beauty and functionality and we hope will be enjoyed for many years. We spent the better part of last year searching for these items and discovered them in all sorts of unlikely places. They are handmade and one of a kind, and available only online. We love these richly colored mortar and pestles hand carved from granadillo or macawood. The mortar is weighty with a beautiful grain and the pestle is hand carved from matching wood. They … Read more

Today’s Color: Weld Yellow

I was so shocked when I first dyed with Today’s color: weld yellow. I had no idea that this eye-dazzling yellow could come from a weedy looking, grassy smelling plant. All the other yellow dyes I had tried: osage, fustic, pomegranate and myrobalan had been so much more discreet in their yellowness. Their shades were golden, buff, bronze, buttery and very beautiful, melding perfectly into my palette between the rich earthy reds and gentle teals. Weld, on the other hand, was the extrovert. The color that had the lampshade on its head. The color that was standing on the street … Read more

Today’s Color: Madder Red

Madder is one of the historical dyes of antiquity and has been used throughout Europe, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent for centuries. It is possible to see antique textiles from the 16th and 17th century that have been dyed with madder and the colors remain rich and vivid. The famous Turkey Red recipe was based on madder and incorporated many steps and immersions in different baths of soap, alum, dung, ox bile and oil to achieve the famous bright red color prized throughout Europe. Botanical Colors madder extract is easy to use and produces a deep, beautiful red without the hassle … Read more

Natural Purple

Nearly every summer in Seattle is so cold that climatologists officially classify it as the Year of the Green Tomato, which is the phenomenon where you have tons of tomatoes but none of them ripen. Ever. I didn’t think we could grow eggplants here. I was thrilled and amazed that kale and broccoli produced all summer and that cauliflower matured beautifully in the cool climate, but I wanted peppers, and tomatoes and I especially wanted eggplants. I’m used to those slender, violet-streaked, creamy Asian eggplants that are lovely in curries and stir-fry and grilled. I remember heaps of them – … Read more