Botanical Colors Archives - Botanical Colors

Mordant Monday: Tannin Extravaganza!

TANNIN A TIMELESS MORDANT Tannins are a bitter and astringent compound found so abundantly in many plants. In food, they serve as the slight pucker in black coffee and tea, and the “oaky” flavor in aged wines. Tannins are used in medicine and for leather tanning. For us, they are the natural dyer’s not-so-secret-weapon to beautiful color. For the natural colorist, tannins provide a rich base for unusual and eye-catching combinations, and they’re particularly effective on plant fibers such as cotton and linen. We have two back to back tannin workshops for you coming up in January! Build your swatch … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Soy Milk a Mordant?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I am working with earth pigments specifically clay. I am trying to wrap my head around the use of soy as a binder/mordant. Is a coating of soy necessary as an initial application? Then using pigment. Mixed with soy as design than a coating of soy over the whole dried material? Or what?? KATHY ANSWERED: Soy is used as a binder, a “glue” really, to attach clay and earth pigments to a fabric surface. It is not … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Post-Mordant Scouring?

a Rerun from the archives! We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? YOU ASKED: Can you store and then reuse symplocos mordant, the way you can alum mordants? If it can be stored, do you need refrigerate it or add cloves to keep it from going off, as you must with plant based dyes? KATHY ANSWERED: Symplocos baths may be reused several times but it does contain plant matter and will probably start to ferment if left for long periods of time, like over 2 weeks in a warm environment. You … Read more

Sunday Visit: Kalen Kaminski of Upstate

For this week’s Sunday Visit interview series, we are excited to feature Kalen Kaminski, the creative force behind Upstate, a vibrant New York-based studio renowned for its handcrafted textiles, apparel, and glassware. With a background in set design and prop styling, Kalen has cultivated a unique aesthetic that blends whimsy with sustainability. Inspired by nature and global travels, she crafts one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect her passion for color and experimentation. From her early days as a prop stylist to founding Upstate, Kalen’s journey is a testament to innovation and collaboration, as she continues to push boundaries in design while advocating … Read more

multicolored dyed eggs in a green ceramic bowl

Dye Easter Eggs With Natural Dyes

Everyone from kids to adults love to get their hands messy when they dye Easter eggs with natural dyes. This is a fun tutorial for adults and kiddos (parents help, please) to make a little Easter magic. First things first, let’s talk about health & safety: We always recommend working in a very well ventilated area. Although natural dyes are non-toxic, when using fine powders it’s best to wear a mask, and keep the windows open. Be mindful around little ones and pets as you don’t want anything going in mouths that shouldn’t be there. Also, when beginning to set … Read more

Sunday Visit: Prairie Underground

Sunday Visit is our Interview series where we sit down to interview exciting members of our community about their process, inspirations and learn about what makes them tick. Today we interview one of our collaborators and dye house clients Prairie Underground. We learn about the women behind the sustainable brand, how they got started and how they navigate the world of fashion and natural dyes. The photos from this series are a special behind the sneak peak of their upcoming Indigo collection we dyed for them in Seattle. They were taken by Elisa Clements Tell us your origin story, how … Read more

Sunday Visit: Ni En More meets Blue Light Junction

For this Sunday Visit, we take a bit of a different approach. For Women’s month, I sat down with two inspiring women of our community, Janette Terrazas of Ni En More & Kenya Miles of Blue Light Junction on zoom. Janette did the Ibura Residency at Blue Light. I first met Janette 8 years ago, when I was asked to come down to Ciudad Juarez to work with the women. Ni En More is a non-profit organization dedicated to building social impact and empowerment through ethically crafted, naturally dyed clothing. I first went to Ni En More in 2016, when … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Can A Cold Water Mordant Deepen Colors?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I recently purchased some aluminum triformate from you all. I tried the aluminum triformate using it at 10% WOF hoping to get the strongest results possible. So far I have only the aluminum sulfate to compare it to. It seems the aluminum sulfate samples are much darker, especially the reds, although I am not finished with all the colors. I am wondering if this is typically the case? Is there anything you would suggest to coax … Read more

Sunday Visit: The World of Arielle Toelke

Arielle Toelke’s visual work spans mediums, influences, and universes. She is always interested in adventurous collaboration. Arielle Paints Visions and uses a variety of mediums in her collages. She is the author of the Cooking Color Natural Dye Book. For this Sunday Visit, we learn how Cooking Color came to be, and the Aha! moment that drew her to natural dyeing. Arielle! Give us your backstory. How did you come to be you? What was the moment where you started to work with natural dyes? Ten years ago, I took an indigo dye workshop at an artists studio in Brooklyn. … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: To Mordant Or Not To Mordant + Disposing Of Mordant Baths

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy … Read more