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FEEDBACK FRIDAY Love Letters #3

Adire Eleko, 20th century Nigeria, Yoruba Factory woven plain weave cloth, cassava paste resist with indigo dye Gift of the Christensen Fund, Seattle Art Museum FEEDBACK FRIDAY has meant so much to Kathy and I, and we know it means a lot to you too. We so appreciate all the emails and notes you send weekly about how they help you through this time. So why not have a little series with some of your love letters that make us all feel the love of this natural dye community? Got something you’d like to share? Email me, Amy at [email protected] … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Love Letters #2

FEEDBACK FRIDAY has meant so much to Kathy and I, and we know it means a lot to you too. We so appreciate all the emails and notes you send weekly about how they help you through this time. So why not have a little series with some of your love letters that make us all feel the love of this natural dye community? Got something you’d like to share? Email me, Amy at [email protected] Hello, I am a textile artist and designer based in the UK. After years working in high profile projects for film and TV (amongst other … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Love Letters #1

FEEDBACK FRIDAY has meant so much to Kathy and I, and we know it means a lot to you too. We so appreciate all the emails and notes you send weekly about how they help you through this time. So why not kick off a little series with some of your love letters that make us all feel the love of this natural dye community? Got something you’d like to share? Email me, Amy at [email protected] Dear Kathy and Amy, Thank you so much for the wonderful Feedback Fridays. They have been such a gift during this crazy time. Although … Read more

Love Letters #4 (With Love From Budapest)

FEEDBACK FRIDAY has meant so much to Kathy and I, and we know it means a lot to you too. We so appreciate all the emails and notes you send weekly about how they help you through this time. So why not have a little series with some of your love letters that make us all feel the love of this natural dye community? Got something you’d like to share? Email me, Amy at [email protected] Just to show the importance of your Feedback Fridays, here is a very short story. Just yesterday about 5 minutes before the session started a … Read more

Crafting a Better World: Inspiration and DIY Projects for Craftivists

Crafting a Better World: Inspiration and DIY Projects for Craftivists Ever feel like you’re hanging on by a thread? From the climate crisis, to racism, to gun violence, to attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, the list of issues facing this country goes on and on, and it’s only natural to feel anxious about the state of our union. Even if you vote, march, volunteer, and donate, feelings of hopelessness (and helplessness) still creep in. Enter Diana Weymar, creator of the Tiny Pricks Project. On Jan. 8, 2018, she stitched “I am a very stable genius” (a Donald Trump quote) into a … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: TATTER Library

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Jordana Munk Martin, Founder of the TATTER Library and it was so personal and beautiful and made our hearts explode. Thank you Jordana. Watch the video HERE. Links you should click to on the TATTER site: –TATTER Journal –Amazing TATTER classes & lectures –The Barbara Walker Knitting Project -Info on Jordana’s grandmother Edith R. Wyle -Info on Carol Westfall whose weaving book collection is at TATTER Shop all our blue here. From the site: “BLUE, The TATTER Textile Library, opened its doors in June of 2017. Serving as both an interactive, ongoing art-installation as … Read more

These Natural Dyers are ‘Better Than Google’

“THEY are the duo described by their admirers as ‘better than Google.’ Revered for their incredible fine motor skills, Olive Edyvean and Margaret Belling are two of the longest serving members of the Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Wagga. Olive joined the guild when the club was in its infancy, attending her first meeting in 1970 – just two years after it was established in 1968. Five years later Margaret walked into the guild’s annual general meeting and became the newest member of the tight-knit fold. “My daughter was doing textiles and spinning was becoming all the rage so she … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. We were joined by Arts & Ecology Co-Director Shannon Algiere and Member Services Center Manager and the farm’s natural dyer, Glynis Cotton. Watch the video here. Learn more about Stone Barns here. Follow them on Instagram here. For nearly two decades, Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill restaurant have brought farmers and chefs together to push the boundaries of sustainable farming and eating. For the presentation Shannon gave an overview of the work and the history of the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture as … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Aluminum Acetate A Better Mordant Than Aluminum Sulfate?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: For plant fibers I was taught to use aluminum acetate for the mordant and then rinse in calcium carbonate to neutralize the acetate. That extra step is minor, but I’m wondering whether aluminum acetate is a better mordant than aluminum sulfate. It sure is more expensive! KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, that is the mordant process that we use as well. I don’t think that aluminum acetate is necessarily a better mordant, but it does have some strengths over … Read more

Sunday Visit: Katrina Rodabaugh, Mending Matters

Sunday Visit is our interview series where we speak with an incredible maker in our community and learn about what makes them tick. Katrina Rodabaugh is an author and artist working at the intersection of sustainability, craft, and design. Using visible mending, natural dyes, and textile redesign in fashion, art, and home. She combines her training in sustainability with her experience in fiber arts to build eco-friendly solutions for modern lives. We sit down with her to learn about her practice. Katrina, you have been a friend of BC for a long time. Tell us a little bit about your … Read more