Natural Dyes Archives - Botanical Colors

multicolored dyed eggs in a green ceramic bowl

Dye Easter Eggs With Natural Dyes

Everyone from kids to adults love to get their hands messy when they dye Easter eggs with natural dyes. This is a fun tutorial for adults and kiddos (parents help, please) to make a little Easter magic. First things first, let’s talk about health & safety: We always recommend working in a very well ventilated area. Although natural dyes are non-toxic, when using fine powders it’s best to wear a mask, and keep the windows open. Be mindful around little ones and pets as you don’t want anything going in mouths that shouldn’t be there. Also, when beginning to set … Read more

Sunday Visit: Prairie Underground

Sunday Visit is our Interview series where we sit down to interview exciting members of our community about their process, inspirations and learn about what makes them tick. Today we interview one of our collaborators and dye house clients Prairie Underground. We learn about the women behind the sustainable brand, how they got started and how they navigate the world of fashion and natural dyes. The photos from this series are a special behind the sneak peak of their upcoming Indigo collection we dyed for them in Seattle. They were taken by Elisa Clements Tell us your origin story, how … Read more

Mordant Monday: Creating Color In Tucson

We used raw dyestuffs: cochineal insects, coreopsis flowers, marigolds, extracts and two indigo vats (henna and fructose). I was very impressed how beautiful the colors came out! I was fortunate to teach in Tucson, Arizona last month for the Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild. This was my first time in Arizona and it was a wonderful experience. The dramatic desert landscape really commands your attention and the light just before sunset is luminous. The swatches are from a number of different dye baths and we mixed and matched colors to create 4-color palettes with an indigo dip at the end. … Read more

Sunday Visit: Ni En More meets Blue Light Junction

For this Sunday Visit, we take a bit of a different approach. For Women’s month, I sat down with two inspiring women of our community, Janette Terrazas of Ni En More & Kenya Miles of Blue Light Junction on zoom. Janette did the Ibura Residency at Blue Light. I first met Janette 8 years ago, when I was asked to come down to Ciudad Juarez to work with the women. Ni En More is a non-profit organization dedicated to building social impact and empowerment through ethically crafted, naturally dyed clothing. I first went to Ni En More in 2016, when … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Can A Cold Water Mordant Deepen Colors?

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 recently purchased some aluminum triformate from you all. I tried the aluminum triformate using it at 10% WOF hoping to get the strongest results possible. So far I have only the aluminum sulfate to compare it to. It seems the aluminum sulfate samples are much darker, especially the reds, although I am not finished with all the colors. I am wondering if this is typically the case? Is there anything you would suggest to coax … Read more

RSVP for BOTANICAL COLORS’ COMMUNITY GATHERING

Join us this week, January 24, 9am PT/Noon ET for our first ever Community Gathering. We kick off our event with the intention of welcoming you into a textile community to provide encouragement, listening and connection. We are here for each other and as act of determination and hope. To participate, click the link to RSVP and Zoom will send you the login information. Can’t wait to see you all! RSVP HERE

SUNDAY VISIT: Kristin Arzt & Her World of Rainbows

Sunday Visit is our interview series where we sit down with a luminary, visionary and creative in the Natural Dye world. We want to bring you the best of what is out there and show off all of the amazing work being done in our community. This week we sit down with Kristin Arzt, who we fell in love with when she made her incredible rainbow coveralls. We catch up with the new mama, and learn all about her practice and what makes her tick. Tell us all about you! How did your practice come to be? I’ve always been drawn … Read more

Mordant Monday: Tannin Extravaganza!

TANNIN A TIMELESS MORDANT For Today’s Mordant Monday, we are highlighting all things tannin. Tannins are a bitter and astringent compound found so abundantly in many plants. In food, they serve as the slight pucker in black coffee and tea, and the “oaky” flavor in aged wines. Tannins are used in medicine and for leather tanning. For us, they are the natural dyer’s not-so-secret-weapon to beautiful color. For the natural colorist, tannins provide a rich base for unusual and eye-catching combinations, and they’re particularly effective on plant fibers such as cotton and linen. We have a variety of tannins for … Read more

Mordant Monday: Dyeing without a mordant

This Mordant Monday, I want to share a little bit about my pokeberry dye adventure this past week. Those of you who know me know that I was trained to mordant nearly everything (exception: indigo). Not mordanting something that needs a mordant usually elicits a shocked, silent, but oh-so-judgey raised eyebrow, so this post is a stretch for me. The interesting thing about pokeberries is that it’s possible to get a brilliant color by using wool yarn and white vinegar. No alum mordant is used in this technique. And vinegar is not normally considered a mordant. So here we are. … Read more

Sunday Visit: Dream Making with Sara Buscaglia

For Sunday Visit, Botanical Colors sits down for an interview with a luminary in the natural dye, textile and art world. This week we sit down again with our inspiring friend Sara Buscaglia of Farm & Folk. Sara is an organic farmer, natural dyer and textile artist residing in the high desert of southwest Colorado. Her inspiration is found in the paradigm shifting slow processes of tending soil, seeds, and plants. Through her experience of being directly connected to food, natural color and fiber she has gained an understanding and appreciation of their true value. We hope you join us for her upcoming … Read more