You searched for indigo - Page 7 of 11

Dyeing for Dummies: 1-2-3 Indigo Vat

1-2-3 Indigo Vat Indigo has a long standing history of heavy-duty power in terms of economics and trade and is probably one of the most talked and written about dyes in the natural dye world. We love the color blue and all its moodiness. Get ready for the navy explosion! For this Dyeing for Dummies, I have put not only myself but husband and daughter in the cross hairs of looking foolish, over exuberant, and dummy-like. (Side note, they had a blast and refuse to be called dummies.) We used all of Botanical Colors’ dyes and ingredients to make Michel … Read more

Indigo Fructose Vat Won’t Reduce for FEEDBACK FRIDAY

Indigo Fructose Vat Won’t Reduce This week: Getting that indigo vat to work

Green on Wool Yarn with Indigo 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: Do you have any tips on getting a crimson red on cotton from cochineal? Been trying so many different ways and can’t get the concentration to stay! The majority of the historical recipes for very deep and bright red on cotton use madder, not cochineal. Your best bet if you want the deepest shade on cotton is … Read more

Mordant Monday: Tannin Rainbow with Chestnut, Fustic, Iron and Indigo

Tannin Rainbow with Chestnut, Fustic, Iron and Indigo This week’s Mordant Monday focuses on Chestnut. We used Chestnut extract in our gradation and absolutely loved the combination of Chestnut, Fustic and Iron with Indigo. This gradation is slightly different than our previous experiments. This time I did not overdye with a warm shade like Madder, to get corals and pinks. I wanted to focus on green and blue. Like previous examples, when a tannin is combined with other colors you can get exciting mixes and beautiful color blends that harmonize and are perfect for patchwork, creating gradations and stitching. If … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Iron Indigo Vat

An iron vat will give you a cool blue-gray color. It is a good choice for dark blue shades. Once it is built, you can dip in this vat at room temperature without reheating it. If you want to dye wool or silk, do not use an iron vat as it damages protein fibers. Important safety note: Iron (ferrous sulfate) in high doses is unsafe for babies, small children and pets. It is not known if iron residue remains on the fabric and in the vat in amounts that could be of concern. Out of an abundance of caution, we … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Henna Indigo Vat

A henna vat will give you a warm blue color as henna has a strong brown-orange undertone, and it influences the cool shades of blue. It is a good choice for dark blue shades. Henna vats get noticeably stronger after several days of rest once they are built and the vat will smell strongly herbal. The henna powder is quite bulky and goopy when it is hydrated, so we like to mix it separately with a generous amount of water and then strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps before adding it into the vat. Unsure … Read more

How to Make a 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Vat

The fructose 1-2-3 vat is one of the easiest indigo vats to set up and gives good color. I’ve found that it benefits from a few days aging to really develop a consistent and beautiful blue. A fructose vat will give you a clear blue color and is a good choice if you want to dye light to medium blue shades. Dark shades require multiple dips. Unsure about what type of vat you want to use? See our blog post about different vat types here! Shop the the Easy 1-2-3 Fructose Indigo Kit here! Getting Started Ingredients (Amounts are calculated below) … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Hapa-Zome + Overdyeing 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: When doing hapa-zome with fresh indigo leaves, do I need to treat the fabric with soda ash prior to hammering the leaves? KATHY ANSWERED: I have not heard about using soda ash with fresh indigo printing. The instructions and method that I’ve used is to get a piece of silk fabric, … Read more

Recipe! Food Waste, Indigo and Natural Dyeing With Cara Piazza

This past Saturday I taught a natural dye workshop in the backyard of my friend’s Cyd and Neal’s vintage store – The Grand Street Bakery. A vintage store set in a converted old bakery, fully equipped with awesome vintage threads hanging on repurposed baking racks, stocked with natural apothecary, magazines and generally some of the best vintage buys you can find in New York. They also have an incredible backyard space so I thought a food waste workshop in a converted bakery with vintage oasis? Perfect. Working with donations from Reynard at the Wythe Hotel, and juice pulp from the … Read more

EILEEN FISHER Learning Lab Event With Botanical Colors Indigo!

Shibori is a centuries-old Japanese method of dyeing cloth by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, and compressing. In this workshop featuring all Botanical Colors indigo dyes, participants will learn these basic techniques through demonstration and hands-on application. Utilizing recycled and reclaimed materials, participants will apply these decorative techniques to create their own unique piece. Tuition is $115 and includes materials, use of all tools, coffee, tea, and light snack not to mention just being in the amazing and beautiful EILEEN FISHER Learning Lab in Irvington. RSVP on the EILEEN FISHER Learning Lab page here! Instructor Jean Wasil is a graduate of … Read more