mordant Archives - Botanical Colors

More Mordant Experiments

I’m obsessed with using tannin and aluminum sulfate to create different color bases for both natural dyes and indigo. What I love about this technique is that this is a great mordant option and it’s a lot of fun to see the colors develop and take on the subtle differences between the different tannin bases. This time, we’re working with a lightweight, pre-mordanted, organic cotton suitable for stitching and quilting. We mordanted 4 fat quarters, each with a different tannin, and then tried a few dye experiments using Marigold Mix, Madder extract and Indigo. Start with our Mordanted Fat quarter … Read more

Mordant Monday: Middle Mordant Magic

In this week’s Mordant Monday, we discuss Middle Mordant. Middle Mordant is a technique that I learned about from The Art and Science of Natural Dyes. It’s considered to be a Japanese technique and is a simple way to create rich color on silk. Middle mordant uses room temperature dye baths and you can repeat the process until the fabric is the color you want. The purpose of middle mordant is to deepen the depth of shade and most of the examples I’ve seen use silk fabric and alum mordant. There are somewhat similar techniques that old dye books discuss, … Read more

Mordant Monday: Sneak peek of a new product

Mordanted Sashiko Thread with Different Tannin Options! Now you have the convenience of using tannins and a pre-mordanted thread to create your own color palettes and who doesn’t love that? Pictured from Left to Right: Cutch and Alum mordant, Sumac and Alum mordant, Gallo-Tannin and Alum mordant, and PFD, unmordanted Sashiko Threads We’ve been busy adding to our very popular mordanted product line, and will be offering mordanted Sashiko threads using three different mordant variables. The light brown color is Cutch, a light brown tannin, the yellow is Sumac, a yellow-based tannin, the light cream is Gallo-Tannin, a “clear” tannin, … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Tannin Mordanting Cotton & Stiff Wool

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 getting ready to dye vintage cotton runners. I have aluminum acetate, which tannin powder would you recommend? Weight of fiber protocol?I have a bag of wool roving and also trying to figure out the best way to handle. Last time I ran it through a dye bath it dried dull and stiffish. What do I need to do next? KATHY ANSWERED: The choice of which tannin is really up to your preference. We like to use … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Scouring & Mordanting Raw Silk

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 was wondering what is the best way to scour or mordant raw silk? I know you have on your site that info for silk but just wanted to ask if that applied the same for raw silk as well. KATHY ANSWERED: Raw silk, also referred to as silk noil, is the carded short waste pieces from silk reeling that are carded and spun before weaving or knitting. The fiber is medium weight, textured, matte and can … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: What Mordant For Viscose?

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 received some organic bamboo pillowcases that I would like to bundle dye. Per their website they are crafted from 100% viscose from organically-grown bamboo. Does viscose take color? If so, what is the best mordant to use to get the most vibrant and long-lasting bundle dyeing color? KATHY ANSWERED: Natural dyes work well with viscose, which is the name typically used for fibers extruded from cellulose material, such as bamboo and wood products using a chemical process. It’s … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: What’s The Best Mordant Duo For A Cotton T-shirt?

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 had a question about your aluminum triformate. I am going to dye 20 cotton t-shirts and thought the aluminum triformate would be a good option for mordanting. I am wondering if I should still use a tannin? Do you think it’s the best option for mordanting cotton items that will be washed often? KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, tannin really helps with wash and lightfastness. You have a wide choice of tannins: gallo-tannin, tara powder, chestnut, myrobalan, pomegranate … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Scouring + Mordanting Cashmere

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 have some lovely 100% cashmere yarn I’d like to dye before knitting and am scared of ruining it. Should I use the scouring instructions for wool? I’d like to use aluminum acetate as I’m dyeing with cutch and like the pinks this mordant pulls out of this dye. Is this mordant safe for cashmere? If not does aluminum triformate also bring out pinks in cutch? Any cashmere dyeing tips are most appreciated. Thank you! KATHY ANSWERED: … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: How To Recharge Mordants & Assists

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 have mind-bending questions about the mordants that can be refreshed like aluminum acetate, aluminum sulfate and aluminum triformate. Is it different with different mordants? And what happens with the assists like soda ash or cream of tartar, if I put them together with the mordant, do I also need to recharge it as well with 25/50%? KATHY ANSWERED: Typically aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate and aluminum acetate are refreshed at 50% and aluminum triformate is refreshed at 10%. … 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