Our Top 8 Picks For The Most Durable Natural Dyes

We get asked A LOT about which are the most durable natural dyes in our shop. By durable, we mean dyes that excel in both light and washfastness. But as we always say to people when they ask us to point them in that direction, there’s lots of questions we have for YOU around your lifestyle and wash practices and natural dyes. For instance, do you use a harsh detergent? Do you wash your dyed clothing daily? Do you hang dry or put on high heat in the dryer? Is it a silk blouse or a cotton napkin? How often … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Indigo For Soap Making

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Indigo is often used as a natural colorant in soap making and I have been using your organic indigo powder for the past couple of years. As I’ve been researching about processing my fresh indigo plants to turn into powder I’ve started wondering about using indigo powder for soap making and … 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

Sunday Visit: In Tangier With Yto Barrada

Every Sunday, Botanical Colors sits down for an interview with a luminary in the natural dye and textile world. Today we get to meet Yto Barrada, a Moroccan-French artist recognized for her multidisciplinary investigations of cultural phenomena and historical narratives. In 2006, Yto founded the artist-run Cinémathèque de Tanger, North Africa’s first cinema cultural center, now an internationally appreciated institution. She also founded The Mothership in Tangier, a radical eco-campus for artists, makers, and researchers growing, making, and learning natural dyes and indigenous traditions, and a place for experimental collective artistic practice through art residencies and workshops.  Her work has … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Getting Logwood To Be Lightfast

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Thank you so much for all your wonderful information about plant dyes. I was wondering if I have to heat up wool yarn in the logwood dye bath? Is the heating process necessary to  protect the lightfast properties or to achieve a deeper color? If I would like to use the same … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Jody Alexander

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had mixed media artist Jody Alexander. In 2020, Jody made some life changes so that she could swim in lakes, and in 2023 she decided to make her open water swimming experiences into an art project. Aqua Lab is a work in progress that attempts to define the allure of open water swimming through the collection of data that includes water and air temperature, earth pigments surrounding the lakes, and underwater photos to capture water color. Watch the recording below. Take a class with Jody! Stitch, Patch, Dye: A Bag Making Workshop with Jody … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Fibershed Ireland Takes on Linen + Woad

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we took an inspiring textile and color journey with Fibershed Ireland! We travelled to the island of Ireland and met Mario Sierra from Mourne Textiles. Mario is bringing a spinning mill at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland back to life. Despite having a rich history of linen production from soil to textile, in the last 30 years the linen industry has pretty much left Ireland, save a handful of weavers and finishers. Mario intends to change that at Mourne Textiles. We also met Jennifer Lienhard of AppleOak FibreWorks who talked about her … Read more

RSVP For FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Jessie Mordine Young

Join us this week, May 26th, 9am Pacific/Noon Eastern for FEEDBACK FRIDAY with textile artist and educator Jessie Mordine Young. We love all of Jessie’s projects but were really drawn to her “A Weaving a Day” series where she is weaving 365 individual pieces to document her practice. She says: “On January 1st, 2023, I will embark on my next long form weaving project, one that is far more ambitious than anything I have done previously in my creative career and truthfully, in my life. I will create one woven drawing each day for an entire year. One woven artwork … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Natalia Woodward of Bat Flower Press

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had Tarrytown, New York-based Natalia Woodward, the founder of Bat Flower Press. In 2020, Natalia founded Bat Flower Press, a letterpress and papermaking studio that focuses on sustainable handmade paper and artistic letterpress designs. Having worked with high end art collectors and organizations such as New York City’s MoMA, Natalia has spent her career around precious artwork, and sees her company as an opportunity to bridge art and functionality, to collaborate with others, and to create meaningful work that is approachable to all.  Watch the recording below. Bat Flower Press Instagram Bat Flower Press website Natalia … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: María-Elena Pombo of Fragmentario

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had María-Elena Pombo of Fragmentario. Continuing on with our Earth Month series, María-Elena focused on using materials that are a byproduct of the food industry to prevent them going to landfill, but also as a strategy to promote non-extractivist and decolonial futures. Likewise, promoting using free materials and finally centering plants people have a connection with. María-Elena Pombo was born in Caracas and lives in New York City since 2011. She works through open-ended research projects that are normally translated into installations, objects, sculptures, and videos. Watch the recording below. About María-Elena Pombo: Instagram … Read more