Natural Dyes Archives - Page 5 of 32

Sunday Visit: Evolving Fibershed With Rebecca Burgess

Today’s Sunday Visit is with one of our fiber and dye heroes, Rebecca Burgess. Rebecca is the executive director of Fibershed and the author of Harvesting Color as well as Fibershed-Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy. She’s also a seasoned weaver and natural dyer. About a decade ago, Rebecca had the idea to develop a project focused on wearing clothing made from fiber grown, woven, and sewn within her bioregion of North Central California. From the Fibershed book: “As she began to network with ranchers, farmers, and artisans, she discovered that even … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Cassie Dickson

Yesterday, we welcomed coverlet weaver, flax and silkworm farmer Cassie Dickson to FEEDBACK FRIDAY. Cassie says: “A Southern Highland Craft Guild Heritage member, specializing in spinning, traditional weaving, and natural dyeing, I have called western North Carolina my home for over 30 years. As a traditional pattern weaver, I have woven coverlets and linens for over 40 years. I grow flax and use 18th and 19th century tools and process the fiber to weave linen cloth. For the past 33 years, I have also raised silk worms, processing the cocoons to silk fabric and sharing that interesting historical story. Over the years, I have taught … 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

Sunday Visit: Dyes, Quilting + Farming in Colorado’s High Desert With Farm & Folk

Today on Sunday Visit, we welcome 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. Her naturally dyed quilts are an embodiment of that. On September 26th, Sara debuted her first book Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy: A High-Country Guide to Natural Dyeing and Making … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Hapa-Zome + Overdyeing Indigo

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 questions@botanicalcolors with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: When doing hapa-zome with fresh indigo leaves, do I need to treat the fabric with soda ash prior to hammering the leaves? KATHY ANSWERED: I have not heard about using soda ash with fresh indigo printing. The instructions and method that I’ve used is to get a piece of silk fabric, … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: The pH of Indigo

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 questions@botanicalcolors with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I set up an indigo vat a few weeks ago using fructose and lime. I dyed a few cotton items which worked well and now I want to dye some wool and silk. I’m having trouble lowering the pH. I’ve added more fructose but the pH is still 10.9. I tried … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Hannah Regier

Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY we had a beautiful presentation with fiber artist/land conservationist Hannah Regier. Hannah shared her practice and the evolution of her work from functional to fine art; and showed her latest project, Landcestors which was supported by a creation grant from the Vermont Arts Council. Watch the recording below. Website Instagram Hannah’s Nonprofit conservation organization, Bull Creek Common Lands About Hannah:Hannah Regier is a fiber artist and land conservationist whose work explores the profound possibilities of natural dyes and fibers to bring people into meaningful, reciprocal, relationship with the land. Hannah grows and forages dye and … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Hair Dyeing, Dog Toys & Sticky Angora

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] (Image: The Dogwood Dyer) YOU ASKED: Hi there! I’m interested in your products, particularly the cochineal, and I’m wondering if I can use it for dyeing my hair. If so, do the same instructions work that are listed here? I’ve seen The Dogwood Dyer’s instructions here and it sounds like she’s putting the alum directly in the dye. I’d like to achieve a pink color like what she did. I’d so appreciate if you could help me understand exactly how … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Textile Artist Youngmin Lee

Last FEEDBACK FRIDAY we welcomed textile artist, Youngmin Lee. Youngmin talked about her practice using Korean textile traditions that include bojagi and her ultimate journey to find happiness. It was one of those magical presentations that we got lots of messages about that it was “one of our best.” Watch the recording below. About Youngmin Lee Website Facebook Instagram: @youngminlee_bojagi & @koreantextiletour Email: [email protected] Youngmin Lee is a textile artist using bojagi tradition and techniques to create her work. Her interest in textiles led her to study clothing and textile in college and she received an MFA in Fashion Design in South … Read more

Sunday Visit: Hannah Regier’s Vermont Landcestors

For this week on Sunday Visit, we spend some time with Vermont-based fiber artist/land conservationist Hannah Regier. Hannah is a second generation professional craftsperson, a small scale homesteader, and “a third or more generation fiber worker.” She says her work is not about any “virtuosity of technique or adherence to current fashions” but more towards exploring how she can be of service to the natural materials she works with and the environment. Hannah will be sharing her practice and the evolution of her work this week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY focusing on her latest project, Landcestors which was supported by a creation … Read more