
This week: How to make an indigo iron vat, can dyes expire and washfastness
This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Wild Pigment Project. Here’s the Zoom recording: Wild Pigment Project supports the global art community to use pigments that reflect values of racial, economic, and ecological equity for all, by fostering a network of artists, foragers, designers, craftspersons, scientists, farmers, researchers, ecologists and others passionate about wild pigments. The project aspires to provide generous resources to facilitate learning about land stewardship through ethically gathered botanical, mineral and waste-stream-derived materials used to make paint, ink and dye. Head to Wild Pigment Project and enjoy Tilke’s site for so many resources … Read more
This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Kenya Miles and her Blue Light Junction Studio. Blue Light Junction is a natural dye studio, alternative color lab, retail space, dye garden and educational facility in central Baltimore. Kenya is also artist in residence for the Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative at MICA and Parks & People, an initiative to grow and process natural dyes in Baltimore city. This was part 3 in a 3-part series featuring the Natural Dye Initiative at MICA. Watch the recording here: PLEASE support Kenya’s Blue Light Junction Buildout on GoFundMe here. Catch part … Read more
This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Catharine Ellis. She even answered all your chat questions we didn’t get to (below!) Watch the recording here: You might know Catharine as the author of what many call their natural dye bible, The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results. Co-written with textile engineer and chemist Joy Boutrup, the book is a comprehensive guide that explains the general principles of natural dyeing to help dyers become more accomplished at their craft. She also has a fantastic blog that features all her experiments that’s a must … Read more
This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY featuring Aboubakar Fofana. We got to take a walk through Aboubakar’s art and life’s work through a visually stunning slideshow as well as a mini-film featuring his farm in Mali, West Africa. We’ve never had more emails thanking us for giving access to such an inspiring human, and presentation as well as how honored they felt to be part. Thank you again Aboubakar. WATCH THE RECORDING HERE: Below is the introduction from today we didn’t have in the recording (because we almost forgot to record!) Many have asked how to … Read more
This week, we’ve got video from our live FEEDBACK FRIDAY exploring natural dye inks with Judi Pettite of Biohue. Watch the recording here: This time around we got Judi Pettite, the founder of Biohue to answer questions and talk about how she forages, purchases and grows all the materials for her art as mindfully as possible. BioHue dye inks was founded in 2006 after Judi fell in love with colors she was getting from plants. Her inks and watercolors are made intentionally from the fewest ingredients possible and can be used in a number of applications including painting, drawing and home … Read more
Join us this week, March 27th, 9am Pacific, for a live FEEDBACK FRIDAY! Let’s social distance ourselves from the realities of what’s outside our homes and talk all things natural dyes. What could be better? If you are not familiar with FEEDBACK FRIDAY, every week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community. Weekly, all of your burning questions are answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors. Both Kathy and Amy DuFault, Botanical Colors’ Sustainability and Social Media Director will be on hand to moderate and answer questions this week. Hopefully, the two … Read more

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY: When overdyeing indigo with weld, mordanting before or after?

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY: How to channel the color of champagne on silk with a natural dye like cutch

This week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Too much dye on yarn and which natural dye extracts can be used without mordanting?