Ask Kathy Archives - Botanical Colors

Ask Kathy: I Want Saturated Color!

Dear Kathy, I am a total newbie natural dyer and one thing I keep wondering about is why am I always getting a marbling effect when I dye? I’d love to know how to get saturated color! My husband and I would like to darken our denim and it’s not working the way we’d like. Signed, Atlantic Amy (and Jim) ______________ Hi Amy, Sounds like you are looking for a more even shade when you dye with natural dyes? Nearly all hand dyeing has a characteristic unevenness, and this is actually preferred by many dyers and designers as the hallmark … Read more

Confused About Cochineal? Ask Kathy!

We get so many questions about cochineal, from techniques to color fastness to “what does it smell like?” The questions are frequent so we’re hoping many of you will send them in so Kathy can properly answer and give you some help! Today’s question came in from one of our favorite textile artists, Abigail Doan of Lost in Fiber. Abigail: I was recently chatting with my textile artist mother over Labor Day weekend about recent natural dye experiments she has been doing, and she shared that the color that she has yielded from cochineal dye has often varied. I know … Read more