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MORDANT MONDAY: Scouring + Mordanting Cashmere

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I have some lovely 100% cashmere yarn I’d like to dye before knitting and am scared of ruining it. Should I use the scouring instructions for wool? I’d like to use aluminum acetate as I’m dyeing with cutch and like the pinks this mordant pulls out of this dye. Is this mordant safe for cashmere? If not does aluminum triformate also bring out pinks in cutch? Any cashmere dyeing tips are most appreciated. Thank you! KATHY ANSWERED: … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Indigo & Discharging Mordants

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: My question involves the processes of indigo dyeing when combined with other plant dyes that have been mordanted with aluminum acetate. My understanding is that citric acid discharges the mordant and also neutralizes the alkalinity of indigo as a last step in finishing indigo dyed cloth. How would you go about neutralizing indigo without discharging mordant? For some processes, I am wanting to use indigo on top of other colors rather than underneath. Can vinegar be used … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting To Make Green

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I just ordered both logwood and weld and want to get purple and green on wool yarn based on this information on your site. Do I need to do some pre-mordanting with alum? The website has the intriguing recommendation to use a bit of soda ash with neutral water, to get a better purple. Does this mean an acid pre-mordant would not be advised? It’s hand spun wool for warp so would be better slightly acidic rather than … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Let’s Talk Aluminum

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I used acorn extract as a tannin treatment on cotton, rinsed it like crazy, and put it in my aluminum triformate bath. Now the aluminum triformate bath has changed color. Should I toss it? I was hoping it would last awhile more and I could put it to use. KATHY ANSWERED: If you are using the bucket method for aluminum triformate mordanting, I would keep the bath. It’s probably still just fine and there’s a lot of … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Fixatives & Funky Water

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I used your cold water Aluminum Triformate mordant. I dissolved it in cold water and poured it into the cold water tub. It was really cloudy when I added the fabric. Now the mordant has settled on the bottom of the pot. Is that right? If not, is there a way to rectify it. KATHY ANSWERED: If there are a few grains of mordant at the bottom, it’s not a problem. If there’s a layer of mordant, … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Post-Mordant Scouring?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Can you store and then reuse symplocos mordant, the way you can alum mordants? If it can be stored, do you need refrigerate it or add cloves to keep it from going off, as you must with plant based dyes? KATHY ANSWERED: Symplocos baths may be reused several times but it does contain plant matter and will probably start to ferment if left for long periods of time, like over 2 weeks in a warm environment. You … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Aluminum Sulfate For Cellulose?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I realized I purchased aluminum sulfate instead of potassium aluminum sulfate. I am mostly looking to dye cellulose fabric yardage. Will aluminum sulfate work as a mordant for cellulose fibers? KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, it will work: aluminum sulfate and aluminum potassium sulfate are largely interchangeable. It used to be that aluminum sulfate could contain traces of iron, which would shift colors, but most modern day aluminum sulfate is pretty “clean” – at least I haven’t had an … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Weighing Fabric For Mordanting

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I’ve been weighing fabric before and after mordanting lately and noticed that the WOF changes slightly. For the recipes on the site, which weight is relevant for WOF? Post-scour, pre-mordant OR post-scour, post-mordant? KATHY ANSWERED: Our practice is to weigh the fabric prior to scouring and mordanting, so before we start any process on the fabrics. It is the first thing that we do so we can calculate the rest of our formulas during the dye process. YOU … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Soy Milk a Mordant?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I am working with earth pigments specifically clay. I am trying to wrap my head around the use of soy as a binder/mordant. Is a coating of soy necessary as an initial application? Then using pigment. Mixed with soy as design than a coating of soy over the whole dried material? Or what?? KATHY ANSWERED: Soy is used as a binder, a “glue” really, to attach clay and earth pigments to a fabric surface. It is not … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Post-Mordanting Cotton

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] I recently used Logwood and cochineal on old cotton sheets as blankets to put over watercolor paper when eco printing books. The cotton blankets came out so amazing I decided to sew them together and make a kimono. I had no intention of making a garment or I would have taken more pre-care with the fabric. Since these were very old sheets, I didn’t scour as I’ve laundered them for literally years. I did not mordant either. Anyway, here’s … Read more