Indigo Archives - Page 2 of 13

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Indigo For Soap Making

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Indigo is often used as a natural colorant in soap making and I have been using your organic indigo powder for the past couple of years. As I’ve been researching about processing my fresh indigo plants to turn into powder I’ve started wondering about using indigo powder for soap making and … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Indigo & Discharging Mordants

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: My question involves the processes of indigo dyeing when combined with other plant dyes that have been mordanted with aluminum acetate. My understanding is that citric acid discharges the mordant and also neutralizes the alkalinity of indigo as a last step in finishing indigo dyed cloth. How would you go about neutralizing indigo without discharging mordant? For some processes, I am wanting to use indigo on top of other colors rather than underneath. Can vinegar be used … Read more

Sunday Visit: Stacie Chavez Of Imperial Yarn Looks At The Future Of Fiber

Every Sunday, Botanical Colors sits down for an interview with a luminary in the natural dye and textile world. Grab a cup of tea and settle in to learning about someone you never knew! Catch up on all our Sunday Visits here. In late 2015, fiber farmer Stacie Chavez along with Lynn Edens purchased Imperial Stock Ranch Fiber. Imperial Yarn, which is a company under the Imperial Stock Ranch Fiber umbrella, is 100% American grown and American made yarn. From that yarn they also make beautiful clothing, home goods, patterns and more. With around 6,500 acres of land for her animals … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Overwintering An Indigo Vat

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I’ve moved to a new place and don’t have room to bring my buckets of indigo indoors for the winter (Seattle area). I’m pretty sure that I will need to re-start any ferment in the spring, but will my indigo vat survive otherwise? Somewhat of a beginner here. KATHY ANSWERED: Survivability … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Indigo To Get Green + A Ruined Vat

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I am curious how to achieve a light shade of blue green with natural dyes and am assuming it would be dyed first with weld and then over-dyed with a few dips of indigo? Is there a natural dye that will do the same in one step? KATHY ANSWERED: We like to … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Does Ceriops Oxidize?

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: For instructions on your ceriops page, it says to “dip the cloth into the ceriops vat for 5 minutes. Lift the cloth from the vat and hang (either above the dye vat or over a collecting pan so that the dye can be returned to the dye vat) until dripping stops. … Read more

Sunday Visit: Oregon Flower Farming With Vibrant Valley Farm

Today’s Sunday Visit is with our dear friend Kara Marie Gilbert over at Vibrant Valley Farm. Vibrant Valley Farm is a group of dedicated farmers committed to exploring innovative solutions to enliven the current food, floral and fiber systems. Vibrant Valley Farm is also the muscle behind the marigolds we sell on Botanical Colors! Located on Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland, Oregon, Vibrant Valley Farm has been committed to exploring innovative solutions to enliven the current food system, both locally and globally. As part of that local and sustainably grown angle, they never use pesticides or herbicides. Kara says, … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: What’s The Indigo Setup?

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: I’m trying to set up my indigo vat finally (I purchased materials from your store months back). My only confusion is whether or not I need to purchase a stainless pot to do the initial 180-190 degree temperature rise? I don’t have one, and have a 5 gallon bucket I was … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: The pH of 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: I set up an indigo vat a few weeks ago using fructose and lime. I dyed a few cotton items which worked well and now I want to dye some wool and silk. I’m having trouble lowering the pH. I’ve added more fructose but the pH is still 10.9. I tried … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Using Madder Root In An Indigo Fermentation Vat

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! This is the same person asking multiple questions. We thought answering in sequence seemed best. Enjoy! YOU ASKED: I am trying to start up and use an indigo fermentation vat mainly because my materials preference is still silk and the alkalinity of organic vats is too alkaline for silk. I purchased some madder … Read more