you asked kathy answered Archives

You Asked, Judi Pettite From BioHue Answered: Painting Fabric With Dye Inks

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I would like to purchase your ink dyes to paint on fabric. Will these last and stay on natural fabrics? How do they work on recycled fabrics or synthetics? Judi Pettite from BioHue (who makes our inks! ANSWERED: The inks work well on fabric. They can be painted on, or use the … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Scaling Weld Flowers Vs. Extract

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I would like to dye some of the beautiful hemp I have from Botanical Colors in shades of green using weld and logwood. I see the only weld you are currently offering is in natural flower form and not an extract. That’s great, my extract has turned to rock, so flowers … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Get A Gorgeous Madder Red

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Good morning and thank you so much for this opportunity of free knowledge that you give us. I saw in your madder recipe to put the dye at 145/160 degrees? The recipe says that to make a real red, the temperature must not exceed 80 degrees otherwise it turns brown. But … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Indigo For Soap Making

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Indigo is often used as a natural colorant in soap making and I have been using your organic indigo powder for the past couple of years. As I’ve been researching about processing my fresh indigo plants to turn into powder I’ve started wondering about using indigo powder for soap making and … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Is Buckthorn Like Weld?

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: Hello I was looking to order a couple of your extract dyes, would buckthorn come out similar to weld on silk fabric? Also, do you have brazilwood and if not (I did not see any) what would you suggest to be close to this, on silk fabric? KATHY ANSWERED: I haven’t … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Cellulose Scouring Options

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I recently discovered your product Cellulose Scour, and am wondering what the ingredients in it are? I also noticed you mention Synthropal on your How To Scour page re: cellulose. I’m wondering what your thoughts and feelings are on this product. It appears that the state of California claims it’s cancer … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Do I Mordant With Saxon Blue?

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I am writing you an email because I have a question about the Saxon blue liquid. I am about to use it to dye wool fiber, and I am asking if I need to mordant my wool fiber. If I don’t need to that would be nice but if I have … Read more

dried weld flowers and stalks in a white bowl

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Bright Yellow From Weld

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I am dyeing with dried weld and would like to obtain the most bright yellow, so was wondering if I can use soda ash at 1% weight of fiber (wof) instead of calcium carbonate? Or will this give a big difference as both are elevating the pH level of the water? … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Overwintering An Indigo Vat

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I’ve moved to a new place and don’t have room to bring my buckets of indigo indoors for the winter (Seattle area). I’m pretty sure that I will need to re-start any ferment in the spring, but will my indigo vat survive otherwise? Somewhat of a beginner here. KATHY ANSWERED: Survivability … Read more

You Asked, Kathy Answered: Indigo To Get Green + A Ruined Vat

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 [email protected] with your plea for help! YOU ASKED: I am curious how to achieve a light shade of blue green with natural dyes and am assuming it would be dyed first with weld and then over-dyed with a few dips of indigo? Is there a natural dye that will do the same in one step? KATHY ANSWERED: We like to … Read more