Michel Garcia Archives - Botanical Colors

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Kim Eichler-Messmer

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with quilt artist Kim Eichler-Messmer. Kim has been hand-dyeing fabric for nearly 20 years. In 2015 she made the decision to switch from using synthetic dyes to natural dyes and began a journey of learning and discovery, guided by experts in the field such as Catharine Ellis and Michel Garcia. Kim shared her beautiful work, talked about how the learning process influences her, and discussed how her work has evolved since making the switch to natural dyes. Watch the video recording here: Kim’s favorite things on our site: “I think Botanical Colors has an amazing … 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: 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

Mid-Week FEEDBACK: Indigo Iron Vat & Expired Dyes

This week: How to make an indigo iron vat, can dyes expire and washfastness

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Great tips for the famous Michel Garcia 1-2-3 indigo vat!