This week: Basically everything you need to know for dyeing silk with cochineal
weld
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: Is there any way to remove iron from fabric to brighten it up? Iron is a reliably “permanent” mordant, which is why it is used to enhance light and “washfastness” with dyes that are weak in these categories. I have not seen a reversible method for removing iron. I keep getting mixed answers from people about dyeing … Read more
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: Do you have any advice on how to get a consistent grey? I am answering this in two parts. One, how to get a consistent, non-blotchy color and two, how to get the same color in multiple dye baths. Here’s the answer to the first question. Most gray recipes are a combination of a tannin dye with … Read more
Madison Wool and Wildwood Farm Host a Natural Dye Weekend
We had so much fun this past weekend in Madison, Connecticut at Madison Wool and Wildwood Farm’s natural dye weekend! Participants had their own personal natural dye journeys using both the classical, historical dyes and some surprising new ones (think walnut sludge and pokeberries). We also worked with some of Botanical Colors’ ancient raw dyestuffs such as cochineal, madder roots, walnut hulls and weld flowers. The group also learned about the secrets to obtaining the best color through chopping, simmering and carefully extracting natural dye tinctures. As an added bonus, we took a step outdoors to gather dyestuffs from the … Read more
Today’s Color: Weld Yellow
I was so shocked when I first dyed with Today’s color: weld yellow. I had no idea that this eye-dazzling yellow could come from a weedy looking, grassy smelling plant. All the other yellow dyes I had tried: osage, fustic, pomegranate and myrobalan had been so much more discreet in their yellowness. Their shades were golden, buff, bronze, buttery and very beautiful, melding perfectly into my palette between the rich earthy reds and gentle teals. Weld, on the other hand, was the extrovert. The color that had the lampshade on its head. The color that was standing on the street … Read more