How To Make Your Own Signature Black Natural Dye

Want to know how to make your very own signature black natural dye? Here’s a really good black recipe from Kathy to send you into tannin and iron experiments all day…or maybe, for the rest of your life. Black with gallo tannin, iron and logwood is a historical recipe from Europe and creates a warm black. Prior to the introduction of logwood to Europe, black was achieved through multiple baths of tannin and iron, or by overdyeing with madder, weld and woad. The basic rule of thumb with this recipe is that you can dye and continue overdyeing to achieve … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Fiber + Installation Artist Juliette Sallin

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had fiber and installation artist Juliette Sallin. Juliette talked about her most recent works and research about the relationship between plant, femininity and colors. Watch the video here. Follow Juliette’s work here and here. Juliette says her favorite dyes of ours are cochineal, safflower and logwood. ABOUT: Born in 1980 in Geneva, Switzerland, fiber and installation artist Juliette Sallin studied textile design at the University of Florence, new media at the HEAD Geneva and Kingston University (GB). Two-time recipient of the Swiss Ikea Foundation (2009 and 2013), Juliette has exhibited in Switzerland and Great … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: UK-based Artist Rosalind Wyatt

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had UK-based Rosalind Wyatt, a collage and calligraphy artist. Rosalind explores history and tells stories through natural dyes, needle, thread and fabric through her creative textile art. After Rosalind’s presentation and short video, we were mesmerized, lulled, inspired, and ready to take on life in all its complexity. Check out her website. Check out her Instagram page. Watch the video here: UK-based Rosalind Wyatt is a British artist trained in calligraphy and bookbinding and then Textiles at the Royal College of art. Her work spans the genres of art and design, fashion and film … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. We were joined by Arts & Ecology Co-Director Shannon Algiere and Member Services Center Manager and the farm’s natural dyer, Glynis Cotton. Watch the video here. Learn more about Stone Barns here. Follow them on Instagram here. For nearly two decades, Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill restaurant have brought farmers and chefs together to push the boundaries of sustainable farming and eating. For the presentation Shannon gave an overview of the work and the history of the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture as … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Claire Wellesley-Smith

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had artist, researcher and author based in West Yorkshire, UK, Claire Wellesley-Smith. Claire specializes in projects that use local, natural color, created from home-grown and locally foraged plants. She talked about her practice and some of her community-based projects; including an ongoing Stitch Journal now into its eighth year as well as recent work around textiles and resilience. Claire’s two books: Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art and Resilient Stitch: Wellbeing and Connection in Textile Art (published in April) Check out the Claire Wellesley-Smith website here Instagram is @cwellesleysmith Watch the video here. … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Threads of Life

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had Threads of Life Co-Founders William Ingram and Jean Howe. After the presentation, we had a virtual trunk show with Jean that was amazing and showcased all the artisans they work with. Watch the video below: About Threads of Life: Threads of Life, a Bali-based social enterprise that has worked with over 1000 traditional weavers and their families in 50 communities on 12 Indonesian islands since 1997. As co-director of the Bebali Foundation since 2002 he has led the organization’s support for sustainable use of natural dyes and other non-timber forest products by these … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Climate Crisis & Color

Last week we had such a powerful FEEDBACK FRIDAY on color and climate crisis with Madelaine Corbin. Madelaine is a multidisciplinary artist living in Detroit, Michigan. Her research-based practice moves fluidly between drawing, writing, sculpture, textiles and natural dyeing. Watch the recording here. “Through the lens of blue, this talk will consider the many origins of color to propose a few destinations. I will offer pieces of the research and experiments that inspired my artworks concerning the imminent loss of the color blue from our surrounding ecologies. This constellation of ideas will traverse the language of color, view artistic experiments … Read more

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

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Dogwood Dyer

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Liz Spencer also known as The Dogwood Dyer. As a mother to three young children, Liz talked about the evolution and adaptation of her natural dye practice, her insatiable thirst for a deeper understanding of natural dyes and the fine balance of caring for others while carving out time to continue on the endless path of natural dye learning. Watch the video below. Liz is an artist, maker, natural dyer, gardener, educator and mother. She has grown and foraged plants for color in various environments including urban and suburban. Her most recent experience of … Read more

Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Alabama Chanin

This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with Alabama Chanin founder and creative director, the amazing Natalie Chanin. We talked about Natalie’s design journey, a sense of place and Alabama Chanin’s seed to shelf/cottage industry business model, the design process and working with natural dyes, as well as thoughts on the future of making. Watch the video: With a background in environmental and industrial design, Natalie has worked for 20 years building sustainable practices and community values into the design and making process through her business. You can follow along with the storytelling behind all of this on the Alabama Chanin Journal … Read more