linen Archives - Botanical Colors

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordant Making Linen Stiff

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected]. Today we look at linen! YOU ASKED: I am wondering why mordanting with alum might change the feel of the fabric? I dye linen a lot and I haven’t been able to figure out why this happens and how to restore it to its original softness! KATHY ANSWERED: If your fabric is feeling stiff after mordanting, you may be able to restore softness through a gentle tumble in a clothes dryer. If this doesn’t solve the problem, evaluate how … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: How To Reuse A Tannin Bath

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’m wondering if its possible to reuse a tannin bath, perhaps by using half as much tannin powder the second time as one can do when re using a mordant bath? Recently I have made a tannin bath for linen and have lots left over, it would be great not to throw it out! Secondly, I usually rinse the fabric after mordanting and before dyeing- is this correct? KATHY ANSWERED: I think recharging and reusing tannin baths … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting For Mixed Fibers + Blotchy Linen

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] This week on MORDANT MONDAY… YOU ASKED: I tried the oak gall tannin and then symplocos method on linen and for the life of me I can’t get an even dye. The mordant looks blotchy. Not sure what to do. I get consistently blotchy pieces with linen. KATHY ANSWERED: Hmm. Unevenness in mordanting and dyeing can come from a number of bedeviling sources. The first thing that comes to mind is the cleanliness of the fabric. If the linen isn’t evenly … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Too much dye on yarn and which natural dye extracts can be used without mordanting?

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Getting madder to be really red on cotton and does madder root go bad?

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Mordanting Roundup

This week: Weeks worth of mordanting questions melded into one FEEDBACK FRIDAY!

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FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

Each week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community asking simple and complex questions that we thought might be worth sharing. Here are a handful from this week answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors: I am trying to dye large pieces of both linen and wool fabric (36″ x 56″) but I am having trouble with streaking. Do you have any tips on how to get a more even appearance? I believe part of my problem is keeping all the fabric submerged, it just keeps wanting to bubble up. I stir … Read more

Hints & Tips for Natural Dyers: How to Minimize Indigo Crocking

1. It’s supposed to rub off. That’s why blue jeans fade. 2. Certain cultures attribute indigo crocking to its authenticity and prize the way that excess indigo comes off on the hands or body. I found a description from Duncan Clarke of Adire African Textiles on how West African cultures dye and prepare indigo cloth: “After the dyed cloth had dried it was customary to beat the fabric repeatedly with wooden beaters, which both pressed the fabric and imparted a shiny glaze. In some areas additional indigo paste was beaten into the cloth at this stage, subsequently rubbing off on … Read more