Indigo Archives - Page 3 of 13

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Katrina Rodabaugh

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with artist, natural dyer and writer Katrina Rodabaugh who is just launching her third book Make, Thrift, Mend. Watch the recording here: Katrina gave inspiring insight into her path as an artist and natural dyer, how life becomes part of the process, (and how mendingoften represents that), ways we can rethink our clothing, and how natural dyes have been a big part of her Make, Thrift, Mend project. Links: Katrina’s website Katrina’s Instagram page Get her Make, Thrift, Mend and Mending Matters books here on our site. From the Katrina Rodabaugh Studios site: “I’m a … Read more

Construction Techniques with Aboubakar Fofana: Create a Pair of Stripcloth Trousers

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Indigo Master Dyer Aboubakar Fofana

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with indigo master dyer and multidisciplinary artist Aboubakar Fofana. Aboubakar is based in Mali and France and updated us on his latest projects including cotton cultivation in Mali. He also talked about his indigo farm, exhibits and the workshops he is teaching with Botanical Colors this spring and summer. Watch the video recording here: Shop the Finimugu (Malian Strip Cloth) Aboubakar talked about and showed us beautiful images of here. If you don’t know indigo master dyer Aboubakar Fofana, he is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose working mediums include calligraphy, textiles and natural dyes. … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Highlights Video of 2020 (And Happy New Year!)

A FEEDBACK FRIDAY Highlights video? Yes! For 36 weeks, Kathy and I have brought you FEEDBACK FRIDAY where weekly we speak with dyers, artists, scientists and scholars about our favorite topic, natural dyeing and color. Curated and presented by Botanical Colors’ Founder Kathy Hattori and me, Amy DuFault, Botanical Colors’ Sustainability and Social Media Director, what started out as a way to connect with our community during the pandemic has turned into what’s almost like church for the thousands who have shown up. It’s pretty special to Kathy and I too. What inspiration have we garnered this year learning how … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Rowland Ricketts

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Rowland Ricketts where we talked all things indigo. Watch the video recording here: Shop all our indigo here. Visit our vast amount of indigo pages and how-tos. Make a 1-2-3 fructose indigo vat. Make a 1-2-3 henna indigo vat. Make a 1-2-3 Shakealotta indigo vat. Make a 1-2-3 iron indigo vat. Rowland Ricketts creates immersive installations using handwoven and hand-dyed cloth. His holistic artistic practice begins on his farm, where he cultivates the indigo plants he uses to color his artwork, fully linking his material and process with the finished product. Ricketts often incorporates … Read more

Seven swatches of blue fabric from very pale on the left to dark navy blue on the right

A Deep Dive into the 1-2-3 Indigo Vat

Indigo gradation from Aboubakar Fofana’s workshop on indigo. The vat is a 7gpl fructose vat. Diving into indigo blue We have been working with the 1-2-3 indigo vat for nearly 10 years and over time made some adjustments to the original recipe from Michel Garcia. Here we share a recent experiment where we set up 4 different types of 1-2-3 vats and present the results. New instructions are linked below for each vat type with hints for a successful indigo vat! You can also search our blog posts for information on indigo vats and answers to your many questions. Our … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: 1-2-3 Indigo Vat

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was on the famous 1-2-3 indigo vat! Presenting this week? The best of the best, Botanical Colors Founder/President Kathy Hattori joined by Botanical Colors’ team member Kate Rosendale. Watch the video recording here: We get more questions about indigo than any other dye, so we decided to update our online information and also do a deep dive into the variations of the recipe based on Michel Garcia’s 1-2-3 indigo vat. we did some pretty extensive experiments with fructose, henna and iron that you won’t want to miss. Botanical Colors’ team member Kate Rosendale and Kathy tested … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Lani Estill

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with fiber artist and rancher, Lani Estill. Lani Estill and her family own and operate Bare Ranch, a vertically integrated diversified livestock operation producing cattle, sheep, alfalfa and grass hay. The ranch is in Northeastern California and Northwest Nevada. They practice regenerative agriculture and with the help of partners like Fibershed and Carbon Cycle Institute are now operating under a Carbon Farm Plan. Lani is also the founder of Lani’s Lana ~ Fine Rambouillet Wool, a commercial wool business and small yarn line. Watch the video recording here: We talked about a lot of exciting … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Madame Magar

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Leigh Magar of Madame Magar. Leigh talked about all things indigo from her work as an indigo artist, designer, farmer and educator on issues surrounding indigo’s origins. Watch the video recording here: Madame Magar is a textile design studio inspired by art, nature, folkways and history. The studio embraces a “seed to stitch” design philosophy that explores the history, a rich yet tangled past of place; while living and working on a former indigo plantation. The “seed to stitch” vision is inspired by Eliza Lucas Pinckney; who as a young girl in the 1740’s … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Kathy Hattori Q&A

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was all about Botanical Colors’ Founder/President, Kathy Hattori for a Q&A. Watch the video recording here: …and here are a bunch of questions Kathy didn’t get to that she’s answered: I would like to know how to work with a lump of logwood extract that got damp. maybe in a blog post? Yes, we’ll put a post together that talks about stock solutions. I have mixed old nails with vinegar and the liquid started foaming. What is happening? It sounds like it was a reaction from the metal and the vinegar. Perhaps some of the nails … Read more

Video from LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Aboubakar Fofana

This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Aboubakar Fofana. We got to take a walk through Aboubakar’s art and life’s work through a visually stunning slideshow as well as a mini-film featuring his farm in Mali, West Africa. We’ve never had more emails thanking us for giving access to such an inspiring human, and presentation as well as how honored they felt to be part. Thank you again Aboubakar. WATCH THE RECORDING HERE: Below is the introduction from today we didn’t have in the recording (because we almost forgot to record!) Many have asked how to … Read more