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 have been dyeing with indigo for a number of years and always end up with some inconsistency. I always get some spots that are darker than the whole piece. Similar to what an oil stain on clothing would look like. Any recommendations for solving this problem? Or lightening the dark spots once dyed?
KATHY ANSWERED: Indigo can be both amazing and totally annoying. The inconsistency with very dark spots almost sounds like the indigo is touching the side of the vat that has oxidized indigo build up, or it’s bobbing to the surface with the indigo flower and getting marked by that pigment. We’ve found that we get more even results if we make sure our vat is large enough for the size of the fabric or garment we are putting in. That means we dye in 40-50 gallon containers.
YOU ASKED: I’m looking to dye paper and/or make the powders into a kind of ink to make washes on paper. For dying/staining paper, I’d look at things like Japanese gampi, or kozo, etc. (which could be soaked in a water bath.) Or printmaking paper which is very absorbent. I have an interest in making art that makes an ecological statement through the materials used. Indigo and walnut shell powder are two of the powders of interest. Do you have any ideas about this, or can you suggest a source of information? I’m also happy to experiment regardless of outcome, though some success is preferred!
KATHY ANSWERED: Indigo requires creating a vat, which is suitable for paper and has been used to make beautiful effects. The technique would be to build an indigo vat and then dip the paper into it, partially or entirely. It’s also possible to use the powder by itself but the color is a blue-gray color and can appear gritty. The best color comes from an indigo vat process.
You can use any other natural dye and add water because it’s water soluble. Mordant the paper and paint on the dye. Walnut hulls contain a lot of tannin, so mordanting on paper is optional. Another dye that we just introduced is kakishibu, which is a persimmon tannin dye. It makes a beautiful red-brown that darkens with age.
YOU ASKED: I just followed your instructions regarding ice dyeing with indigo leaves. It worked very well, but am wondering if I dare try to do some eco-printing with leaves on this silk scarf? I’ve been searching for answers to this, but really haven’t found any so far. Thank you for your help!!
KATHY ANSWERED: If you are looking to get indigo leaf prints with indigo leaves, the easiest way is to pound them with a mallet and then let the indigo dyestuffs do their thing. Traditional eco-printing using indigo leaves with a tannin, mordant, blanket and steaming will destroy the color but you might get a nice yellow color. It’s also a cold process, but doesn’t require ice. Simply place the leaves on the unmordanted or previously dyed and dried or barely damp fabric and then gently pound with a rubber mallet. If you want to use more force, then cover the leaf with a thin cloth. You can search for this technique in action by looking for “hapazome” and “indigo leaves” you will find many examples. Many smooth, natural fabrics will do, but I’ve always worked with silk.
YOU ASKED: When doing hapazome with fresh indigo leaves, 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 use a piece of silk fabric , place the leaves, cover with more fabric and then apply pressure or hammer the leaf into the fabric. You can also rub a leaf through a stencil, or bundle the leaves into a little “cigar” and rub through a stencil. All of these methods I learned from John Marshall and are included in his book, Singing the Blues.