mordant Archives - Page 4 of 9

MORDANT MONDAY: Post-Mordant Scouring?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Can you store and then reuse symplocos mordant, the way you can alum mordants? If it can be stored, do you need refrigerate it or add cloves to keep it from going off, as you must with plant based dyes? KATHY ANSWERED: Symplocos baths may be reused several times but it does contain plant matter and will probably start to ferment if left for long periods of time, like over 2 weeks in a warm environment. You … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Tips On Temps For Mordanting Fibers

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Does your wool gauze need to be scoured before I mordant it? KATHY ANSWERED: I do not scour the wool gauze as it’s so sheer and fine and it seems pretty clean. It takes the dyes exceptionally well with a mordant only. YOU ASKED: Which type of mordanting do you think ensures color fastness? KATHY ANSWERED: Color fastness is a function of the dyestuff and the mordant, not the mordant alone. If you dye a mordanted fabric … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Does Alum Triformate Shift Color?

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 just recently tried Alum triformate, first time using it. Have you had reports that it shifts the colors? We used Sequoia extract that was purchased from Maiwa, and it should have a dusty brownish purple, and it did on the regular alum mordanted bits I had in there- but it made a greenish grey on the triformate. Just wondering if you had info on this? I’m going to do a test with 2 skeins in … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Symplocos Mordant + Prepping Paper

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 looked over the symplocos mordanting instructions that you have on the Botanical Colors website and I see that there is an “Oiling the Fabric” step for cellulose fabrics that we did not use in the workshop. I am wondering how important that step is in creating a fairly lightfast and colorfast final fabric? I really love some of the colors we got in class on cotton using symplocos mordant and sappanwood and would like to use … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Will Mordant Wash Out Without Tannin?

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 been contacting a well-published natural dyer and they say that the aluminum mordants will be washed out of the fiber without pre-treatment with tannin. Do you have any theory why the triformate is able to mordant without a tannin ? Have you got any data on the wash and light fastness of the triformate on cotton? KATHY ANSWERED: Alum on cellulose performs better with a tannin pre-treatment. However, we have not noticed that the mordant … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Soy Milk a Mordant?

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 working with earth pigments specifically clay. I am trying to wrap my head around the use of soy as a binder/mordant. Is a coating of soy necessary as an initial application? Then using pigment. Mixed with soy as design than a coating of soy over the whole dried material? Or what?? KATHY ANSWERED: Soy is used as a binder, a “glue” really, to attach clay and earth pigments to a fabric surface. It is not … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: What’s The Most Lightfast Mordant?

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 mordant steps for cellulose fabrics after scouring are:1. Tannin powder solution overnight2. Aluminum acetate overnight3. Calcium carbonate 15-30 minutesIf I am using alum acetate instead of alum sulfate, do I still need the tannin pre-soak step? I always thought alum acetate was the recommended alum for cellulose and alum sulfate for animal fibers.Do they work equally well or is alum acetate still the best cellulose mordant? KATHY ANSWERED: Tannin is always a great bonus to any … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mixing 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: I’m just trying out your new cold mordant aluminum triformate and have mordanted wool, bamboo and cotton After applying tannin to the cellulose I dropped it into the aluminum triformate together with the wool, and the water changed to green. I guess it’s due to the connection between tannin and aluminum? But am I doing something wrong and are the textiles fine for dyeing now? I want to save the mordant bath for further use but now … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Penny Circles + Mordanting 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 am looking for something to dye 100% wool. I mostly eco dye and not familiar with dyeing wool. I’d like to do several colors to make penny circles. I have a whole bolt of the wool. Can you recommend something for color and mordant? (My wool has been scoured.) KATHY ANSWERED: Since penny circles are fairly small, you have a lot of options to make some lovely color combinations. A small amount of fabric – something … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Terroir of Color

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we talked with Cara Marie Piazza on the terroir of color. How can we create natural dye solutions based on locality and the terroir of color while maintaining the integrity of the plant? Have you ever thought about local color where YOU live? Watch the recording here. If you love FEEDBACK FRIDAY support our presentations with a donation, (and thank you)! Cara’s info: Website Instagram Cara’s Illustrative Play Time: Painting with Tea Paints, Egg Tempera and Natural Dyes workshop Cara Marie Piazza’s Amazing Ice Dye Bundle Kit! RECORDING: Ice Dyeing Workshop with Cara Marie Piazza … Read more