tannin Archives - Page 2 of 3

MORDANT MONDAY: What’s The Most Lightfast Mordant?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: My mordant steps for cellulose fabrics after scouring are:1. Tannin powder solution overnight2. Aluminum acetate overnight3. Calcium carbonate 15-30 minutesIf I am using alum acetate instead of alum sulfate, do I still need the tannin pre-soak step? I always thought alum acetate was the recommended alum for cellulose and alum sulfate for animal fibers.Do they work equally well or is alum acetate still the best cellulose mordant? KATHY ANSWERED: Tannin is always a great bonus to any … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Moody Hues In Black & Blue

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 was pleased to see the color range of your sappanwood extract on your blog since those blue-violet to gray hues are what I’m trying to achieve. You compare the color fastness to logwood, and I know that logwood doesn’t take well to cotton. Will sappanwood work on a 85% cotton 15% cashmere blend yarn and what should I mordant with? KATHY ANSWERED: You can mordant with tannin and aluminum sulfate or aluminum triformate and symplocos to … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting Cotton & Freezing Clothes

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy … Read more

Q & A: Round Up of Scouring + Mordanting 101

Mordanting and scouring should be at the top of your things-to-do list before natural dyeing. Botanical Colors Founder Kathy Hattori recently took on as many questions as was humanly possible to clarify the processes. Before reading, also please see our How-To Scour and How-To Mordant pages. Scouring Questions If I use untreated and unbleached fabric, is it a must to scour the fabric or is washing it enough? If you mean by “untreated” that it has never been scoured, then you should scour. If untreated and unbleached means it is also prepared for dyeing (PFD or RFD), then you can … Read more

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

How To Dye With Marigold Flowers

Ever wondered how to dye with marigold flowers? The humble marigold makes a beautiful and easy color that captures summer even when the weather is cold and gray. They brighten flower borders and are a companion plant in organic gardening. Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is native to Central America. Shop organically grown marigold flowers here. The Aztecs used it as a flavoring ingredient for cacao. In Mexico, marigolds are also referred to as “Flor de Muertos” (Flowers of the Dead) and used in the Dia de los Muertos festivals and ceremonies. The deeply scented and brightly colored flower is believed to … Read more

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

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

A spoon of red powder on a stack of bright yellow fabrics and yarn

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Is it possible to use too much natural dye in a vat, foaming kamala and getting green with myrobalan

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

This week: Cochineal for more than textiles and how long does it keep, and what to do about a murky alum bath

FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions

Each week, we are emailed with questions from our natural dye community asking simple and complex questions that we thought might be worth sharing. Here are a handful from this week answered by natural dyer in chief, Kathy Hattori, Founder of Botanical Colors: I just started natural dyeing and am wondering if you could suggest any books that might best guide me as a beginner? Check out this list! I just tried to dye some upcycled white t-shirts for an Alabama Chanin project and had a major failure. I used tannin extract and iron powder. I was going for charcoal … Read more