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A VIP Indigo Dye Party with Sustainable Powerhouses

Last weekend we decided to get some of our favorite Seattle folks together for a private dyeing party and show them how much fun one can have putting color to cloth. In attendance were Sarah Menzies filmmaker, director and general mind-blower of Let Media, model, activist and humanitarian Kate Dillon who works for forestry protection through Code REDD, business coach Tara Wefers as well as Leslie Ross who is keeping Seattle in proper planetary alignment. There were lots of “Oooohs” and Aaahhhhs” and fun new tricks happened upon by accident but the one thing we loved most? Getting a fantastic … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: The pH of Indigo

We get lots of emails from customers about challenges with dyeing and needing Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori’s help. Why not share the learning so we can all benefit? From our inboxes to you, it’s simple: You Asked, Kathy Answered. Email questions@botanicalcolors with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I set up an indigo vat a few weeks ago using fructose and lime. I dyed a few cotton items which worked well and now I want to dye some wool and silk. I’m having trouble lowering the pH. I’ve added more fructose but the pH is still 10.9. I tried … Read more

Introducing…Botanical Colors Indigo and Alabama Chanin!

We’ve been waiting to tell you all about our collaborative project with Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin and so welcome you to the world of blue! Ecouterre writes: “Alabama Chanin is back in blue. After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Florence, Ala.-based apparel label is reintroducing its popular indigo collection, including pieces dyed for the first time on location at the sprawling design and production space it calls “The Factory.” Manufactured locally from 100 percent organic cotton, the revamped range incorporates a mix of basic accessories, classic styles, and hand-embellished one-of-a-kind designs, along with overdyed offerings from A. Chanin, its … Read more

DIY: Indigo Dye with Cara Marie Piazza

Our good friend and Botanical Colors customer, textile artist Cara Marie Piazza, was recently featured in Gardenista using our rich indigo. Writer Sophia Moreno-Bunge caught up with Cara in her studio and wrote: “Indigo is an ancient color, a natural dye extracted from a plant of the same name, and the only true blue dye in nature. It’s been found in ancient Egyptian mummy wrappings and was so valued by the Romans as a luxury product, the story goes, that the only people who knew how to dye with indigo were hidden away in the forest,” says Moreno-Bunge. “Because of … Read more

INTERVIEW: Donna Hardy of Sea Island Indigo

272 years after the first successful indigo crop was planted in the Carolina colonies, Donna Hardy of Sea Island Indigo got an idea to research and track down the original strain of indigo plants that were grown in colonial Charleston. Her research and persistence located a few remaining varieties in isolated areas that had been grown for generations: a pretty but humble shrub hiding its secret blue dye. Armed with a handful of seeds and the offer of a plot of land and free goat manure, Donna started her first crop of indigo and was overjoyed when she tested them … Read more

Botanical Colors Gets More Indigo Love

I recently interviewed Natalie Chanin on how hard it is to run a business and was happy she name dropped Botanical Colors! See a portion of the interview below and to read the article in its entirety, go to the Brooklyn Fashion+Design Accelerator. How long have you used natural dyes and is your Indigo Collection your first collection showcasing them? In 2008, we began collaborating with an organization called Goods of Conscience, a non-profit that was based in The Bronx at that time. This was our first foray into the world of natural dyes. We expanded our natural dye selection … Read more

Calculating formulas and hydrating Indigo for FEEDBACK FRIDAY

This week: scouring, reducing, hydrating and are fresh flowers better than dry flowers for natural dyeing?

Indigo Dyeing Wool Questions for FEEDBACK FRIDAY

Each week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community asking simple and complex questions that we thought might be worth sharing. Here are a handful from this week answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors. A note from Kathy: I hope you all had a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday with cherished friends and loved ones. I’ve just returned from a 3 week total immersion in India, attending Indigo Sutra in Kolkata and touring textile and weaving centers in West Bengal and central India. My head is still spinning from the beautiful textiles and … Read more

Indigo Vat Troubleshooting Questions for FEEDBACK FRIDAY

This week: We go indigo vat heavy.

Indigo Stock Troubleshooting Questions for FEEDBACK FRIDAY

Each week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community asking simple and complex questions that we thought might be worth sharing. Here are a handful from this week answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors: My indigo stock solution isn’t changing color? What should I do? If you have an indigo flower and metallic scum and you have done all the above steps and it’s still stubbornly dark, opaque blue, add 1 spoonful of calcium hydroxide, and 1 spoonful of fructose or henna, stir carefully and watch for reduction. Gently heating the … Read more