You Asked, Kathy Answered: Going Grassroots With Tannins

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 want to create gray on cellulose by using an oak gall tannin followed by an iron modifier; my question is should I rinse the tannin before modifying? KATHY ANSWERED: According to Catharine Ellis, the tannin treatment is not super strongly bonded to the fiber until the alum is added, so … Read more

Organic Soybeans

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Soy Binder In The Whole Plant?

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 growing soybeans to make soy milk to use as a binding agent and am wondering if it’s possible that the entire plant contains the necessary proteins, or if it’s solely in the beans? KATHY ANSWERED: If you do a search on soybean leaves and protein, a lot of information comes up. It appears as if the leaves contain protein but I don’t have the training to translate how much protein and what quality it is … Read more