The Reinvention of the Color Black (A Historical Perspective)

Nautilus writes: “Black is technically an absence: the visual experience of a lack of light. A perfect black dye absorbs all of the light that impinges on it, leaving nothing behind. This ideal is remarkably difficult to manufacture. The industrialization of the 18th and 19th centuries made it easier, providing chemists and paint-makers with a growing palette of blackβ€”and altering the subjects that the color would come to represent. β€œThese things are intimately connected,” says science writer Philip Ball, author of Bright Earth: The Invention of Color. The reinvention of black, in other words, went far beyond the color.” From … Read more

Fil Au Chinois Waxed Linen Thread Capsules

The famous brand Fil au Chinois reproduced the packaging of their linenΒ thread, sold in capsules (small round containers) in bygone days. ThisΒ linen thread is lightly waxed to make sewing easier and is made in the north ofΒ France, the birthplace of Fil au Chinois. The labelΒ on the capsules is the famous character “Chinois”, the namesake of this brand. LengthΒ of each spool: 50 meters. ChooseΒ from the following colors: Yellow, Golden Yellow, Orange, Old Rose, Azure, Royal,Β Bronze Green, Green, Dark Green, and Brown. Available online only. $9 per capsule Color Yellow $9.00 USDGolden Yellow $9.00 USDOld Rose $9.00 USDAzure $9.00 USDRoyal $9.00 USDBronze … Read more

Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land

“Farming While Black teaches us the fundamental acts of growing food and growing community.” – Karen Washington, from the foreword In 1920, 14 percent of all land-owning US farmers were black. Today less than 2 percent of farms are controlled by black people. A loss of over 14 million acres and the result of discrimination and dispossession. Farm management is among the whitest of professions. But farm labor is predominantly brown and exploited. And people of color disproportionately live in β€œfood apartheid” neighborhoods and suffer from diet-related illness. The system is built on stolen land and stolen labor and needs a … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Non-Toxic Mordants + Brightening Color

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 sure you have received this question a bunch but I am curious, is the new cold water mordant Aluminum Triformate you are selling considered to be just as good as Aluminum Potassium Sulfate?  Is it also considered to be just as “non toxic” as far as natural mordants go? KATHY ANSWERED: Aluminum triformate seems to work as reliably and well as Aluminum Potassium Sulfate. It is more acidic than APS, so we always rinse after … Read more

Designer Vu Thao Shares Vietnamese Natural Dye Secrets

According to The Creator’s Project, “Few visitors set foot in Cao Bang, Vietnam, a remote village in the mountains north of Hanoi, but designer Vu Thao considers it a creative second home. Collaborating with ethnic women who live there, Thao grows and produces natural dyes and fabrics for Kilomet 109, her eco-conscious clothing line. Thanks to Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA), a program we covered previously that pairs travelers with creators around the world, curious visitors can join Thao in Cao Bang to spend five days learning the secrets of cultivating natural dye from the land. Craftsmanship is deeply ingrained … Read more

Food as a Medium: Pigments and Dyes Made from Edibles

Design Milk writers from Pinch Food Design Bob Spiegel and TJ Girard recently had a great post on natural dyes made from edibles that we were swooning over. They write: “Food as a medium is not a new concept, but a revisited one. Many trades, especially textile designers are finding crossover with food while developing their pieces. What’s interesting to us is some of their application methods when it comes to natural dyes. Never thought I would be nostalgic for tie-dye, however after a brief holiday in the hippie hills of Southern Turkey, I’ve found myself lured by these chaotic … Read more

yellow fabrics and yarns

Video: Live Q&A On Aquarelle Liquid Dyes

We have lots of people that buy our Aquarelle liquid dyes and just as many with questions on how to use them. Each Aquarelle liquid natural dye is pre-extracted from a leaf, root, bark or other natural source and can combine easily to produce beautiful shades. They can also be used to thicken with Print Paste Thickener for printing, painting and other surface design applications.Watch the video recording here to learn something new! FEEDBACK FRIDAY questions on liquid dyes: Do you mix your liquid dyes together in the pot or always dye one first then overdye with the darker color? … 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.Β  Ever.Β  I didn’t think we could grow eggplants here.Β  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.Β  I remember heaps of them – … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Lotta Helleberg

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had natural dyer and artist Lotta Helleberg. Lotta talked about her artistic journey, specifically how and why botanical printing, and natural dye processes have become the main focus of her art practice. She also discussed the roles of her local flora and the plants in her dye garden (including weeds and less desirable inhabitants) and presented her most recent work involving a vintage, badly damaged quilt, which has regained new life with the help of natural dyes and patient repair work. Watch the video here. Lotta Helleberg bio: Lotta Helleberg is a Swedish-born artist … Read more