This week: Are Botanical Colors yarn rings causing reactions in dye baths and can you mordant with cold water?
alum
FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions
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: What is the best natural fixative for cotton? All tannins (chestnut, tara, myrobalan, cutch, etc) may be used to pre-mordant or mordant cellulose fibers but the recommended mordant is tannin and alum, and depending on the type of alum you are using, sometimes a post bath is also recommended. Instructions are given in our How To Section. … Read more
FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions
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: I often hear about “fugitive color.” Can you tell me why some colors like turmeric can latch onto fabric and why others like beets can’t? The terms “fast” and “fugitive” (not Fast and Furious) refer to how durable a natural color is to light, heat, and washing. “Fast” means that the color is durable and its strength … Read more
