Natural Dyes Archives - Page 29 of 32

Berlin-Based Blond and Bieber Create Stunning Algae Dyes

We found this amazing article today on Dezeen featuring Berlin design studio Blond and Bieber. The duo uses algae to create colorful dyes for textile printing and has just won a competition for young designers organized by Lodz Design Festival. The studio’s founders Essi Johanna Glomb and Rasa Weber have also created an analogue textile-printer that produces its own dye using different types of algae. Another interesting point about this? Dezeen says in the article that “the prints are photo sensitive and change tone over time when exposed to sunlight, creating a ‘biodynamic colour palette.’” Read more on Dezeen here and … Read more

Ask Kathy: I Want Saturated Color!

Dear Kathy, I am a total newbie natural dyer and one thing I keep wondering about is why am I always getting a marbling effect when I dye? I’d love to know how to get saturated color! My husband and I would like to darken our denim and it’s not working the way we’d like. Signed, Atlantic Amy (and Jim) ______________ Hi Amy, Sounds like you are looking for a more even shade when you dye with natural dyes? Nearly all hand dyeing has a characteristic unevenness, and this is actually preferred by many dyers and designers as the hallmark … Read more

Introducing…Botanical Colors Indigo and Alabama Chanin!

We’ve been waiting to tell you all about our collaborative project with Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin and so welcome you to the world of blue! Ecouterre writes: “Alabama Chanin is back in blue. After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Florence, Ala.-based apparel label is reintroducing its popular indigo collection, including pieces dyed for the first time on location at the sprawling design and production space it calls “The Factory.” Manufactured locally from 100 percent organic cotton, the revamped range incorporates a mix of basic accessories, classic styles, and hand-embellished one-of-a-kind designs, along with overdyed offerings from A. Chanin, its … Read more

Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present Exhibit Opens October 1 at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Hyperallergic writes: “Despite being a craft dating back over 30,000 years, fiber work only started to get sculpturally experimental in a serious way in the 1960s and 70s. That turning point, and its subsequent path up to contemporary art, are the subject of Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present, published this month by Prestel to coincide with an exhibition opening October 1 at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA). “For many, fiber art is synonymous with women’s art,” Jill Medvedow, Ellen Matilda Poss Director at the ICA, writes in her forward to the book. “Knitting, crochet, weaving, braiding, and darning are historically associate with domestic work — clothing the … Read more

Natural Dye and Printing/Surface Design Workshop

Have you ever wanted to learn to print with natural dyes? This is a singular opportunity to study the art of creative screen printing and dyeing with 100% non-toxic natural inks, dyes, fabrics and extract from experts in the fields, Kathy Hattori, president of Botanical Colors and textiles design and development specialist Lydia Wendt, founder of California Cloth Foundry. Dye California Cloth Foundry’s “sustainably grown to sewn in America ” fabrics and garments with Kathy Hattori using organically certified natural dyes to achieve a rich background color for printing. With the guidance of Lydia Wendt, use simple tools to achieve … Read more

5 Unexpected Natural Sources of Dyes

Shaina Shealy wrote a great article a while back on Rubina Magazine. Her take on five unexpected natural sources of dye are a fun read still. Shaina writes: “Natural dyes are magical. Ordinary plants and roots are transformed into a spectrum of evolving shades and textures; their colors vary depending on the fibers they are applied to, the mordants (fixing agents) that are used to set their colors and, yes, elements of weather such as humidity or cold. And in addition to the magic, many people have turned to natural dyes in order to fight today’s environmental and human health … Read more

Dyeing for Dummies: 1-2-3 Indigo Vat

1-2-3 Indigo Vat Indigo has a long standing history of heavy-duty power in terms of economics and trade and is probably one of the most talked and written about dyes in the natural dye world. We love the color blue and all its moodiness. Get ready for the navy explosion! For this Dyeing for Dummies, I have put not only myself but husband and daughter in the cross hairs of looking foolish, over exuberant, and dummy-like. (Side note, they had a blast and refuse to be called dummies.) We used all of Botanical Colors’ dyes and ingredients to make Michel … Read more

Fashion Whirled Feature: Get Your Dye On during Charleston’s Sea Island Indigo Retreat, Sept 18-20

Thanks so much to Kim Cihlar of Fashion Whirled for this great article on our upcoming retreat! Kim writes: “For those of you following NYFW, you may be thinking of giving your own Spring/Summer 2015 style more of a DIY spin. Then hie thee down South to Charleston for the three-day Sea Island Indigo Retreat weekend September 18-20th, being held at the organic Rebellion Farm in Ravenel, SC! There you’ll learn the fine and historically-based art of indigo dyeing, using indigo from a field raised solely for this workshop. But hurry and sign up while there are still spots available. You won’t … Read more

Confused About Cochineal? Ask Kathy!

https://botanicalcolors.com/wp-admin/profile.php We get so many questions about cochineal, from techniques to color fastness to “what does it smell like?” The questions are frequent so we’re hoping many of you will send them in so Kathy can properly answer and give you some help! Today’s question came in from one of our favorite textile artists, Abigail Doan of Lost in Fiber. Abigail: I was recently chatting with my textile artist mother over Labor Day weekend about recent natural dye experiments she has been doing, and she shared that the color that she has yielded from cochineal dye has often varied. I … Read more

Design Week at Oregon College of Art and Craft’s “Making It Naturally”

Design week at Oregon College of Art and Craft October 4, 2014 to October 11, 2014 is going to be amazing with a solid line up of events ranging from a pop-up to panels and yes, even a class with Botanical Colors. See below. Natural Dye and Printing/Surface Design Workshop Saturday | October 4 | 9am-4pm OR Sunday | October 5 | 9am-4pm This is a singular opportunity to study the art of creative screen printing and dyeing with 100% non-toxic natural inks, dyes, fabrics and extract from experts in the fields, Kathy Hattori, president of Botanical Colors and textiles … Read more