I am always trying to learn more about the natural dye process.  Mostly, this is to become a better dyer, but there is also an intellectual curiosity that keeps me asking questions, testing, and observing. Joy Boutrup, my co-author of The Art and Science of Natural Dyes, is a textile chemist and engineer. She has generously explained so much to me over the years, giving me a glimpse of the logic behind all of our dyeing processes, but never overwhelming me with the technicality of the chemistry.  Last summer, Joy and I were  teaching at Penland School of Crafts at the same time ..read more

It’s been a busy summer, but it’s time to follow up on my earlier post about the recently released Studio Formulas Set dye recipe cards. I received my own set of dye and recipe cards from Schiffer just before Joy Boutrup arrived from Denmark for a class we taught together at Penland School of Crafts in June. Teaching together was a great opportunity to receive some feedback about the set.  Every recipe from the book is represented by a single card. Additonal colored cards illustrate individual dyes and color mixing. We opted to use wool as “the fiber of choice” when creating the initial p ..read more

It has been a while since I have posted here, but I assure you that I am staying busy, still learning, and have been developing some new projects and ways of working.  Last year, Schiffer Publishing Co. approached Joy and me about making the the recipes that are included in The Art and Science of Natural Dyes more accessible to the user. A we thought about how to accomplish this, I was reminded that in my household kitchen, I use the same recipes over and over again and used a recipe box and cards regularly. Maybe this would be a good idea for the dye kitchen as well.  This invitatio ..read more

Vat name: WEF (WEak Ferment) Dates: June 2020-December 2022 The early months of the Covid pandemic proved to be the perfect time to delve deeper into fermented indigo vats. As I have discussed in earlier posts, I began making small (1 liter) sample vats and learning from them. Ultimately though, in order to really understand how the vats worked and dyed, I needed to commit to something larger.  I built my first large (50-liter) fermented indigo vats in early 2019. All the fermented vats were made using indigo pigment.   Wood ash lye or soda ash was added to provide the alkalinity.&nb ..read more

It is my belief that learning about natural dye takes a whole community of people who are willing to experiment, observe, and share. The sharing has been the most rewarding part of my own journey in natural dyeing. I have met many dyers, both in person and virtually, who are willing to be part of that communal knowledge base. While my co-author,  Joy Boutrup, and I were preparing and writing The Art and Science of Natural Dyes, we experimented with potassium permanganate, a strong oxidizing agent that can be used to discharge indigo. It provides a unique approach to removing indigo dye. W ..read more

It is exciting to see such a passion for indigo these days, and especially the active exploration that is happening. With this also comes with a deeper understanding of indigo dyeing and process.  Vats reduced with chemicals such as sodium hydrosulfite or thiourea dioxide used to be the norm when I first learned indigo dyeing in the 1970’s. But now, many dyers have abandoned those chemical reduction vats and are returning to more benign processes. They are now making quick-reduction vats that are reduced with sugar, fruit, plants, or iron – thanks to the teaching of Michel Garcia. Some ar ..read more

Why would a white plastic button turn purple from an indigo dyebath? Indirubin is one the most curious components of indigo. It is sometimes referred to as the “red” of indigo. Indirubin only occurs in natural indigo and you will not find it in a synthetically produced pigment. Indirubin is valued for its medicinal applications. Some dyers have been successful at manipulating the extraction and pH of indigo in order to reveal the mysterious purple/red color of indirubin on a textile. I have no real experience with this process. At one point I did learn how to analyze an indigo pigment in order ..read more

Natural dye has never been a quick way to color my textiles. First there is the mordanting, then the extraction of plant/insect material – not to mention growing, gathering, or drying the plants. Did I mention collecting seed? And what about the weaving, where I actually make cloth from threads?  These last 18 months at home have been a chance to dive in deeper (and slower) with some processes. Just before COVID came to our doors, a friend gave me a small jar of sourdough starter. So yes, I am one of those who has made sourdough bread every week for the last year and a half. What a gift ..read more

I recently took on a small weaving commission that required the use of black wool yarn. For a brief moment I contemplated purchasing the wool in the required color and then decided that I could dye it. I was surprised at how easy it was to achieve a rich, deep black color on the wool using only indigo and madder.  Commissioned weaving using wool yarns dye with indigo blue, madder red, black from indigo and madder It inspired me to continue my current series of color studies, woven in cotton and linen, with an in-depth exploration of black dyes.  Initially, I wanted to achieve all the ..read more

Over the years I have built, used, and discarded many indigo vats. Sometimes I have kept them going for a very long time. I have finally declared the 5 year old, 100 liter henna vat “done”. I have added indigo pigment, lime and additional henna to it many times and although it is still dyeing well, the space available for that dyeing (above the “sludge” at the bottom) has gotten very, very small.  As many of you know, I have spent this last year at home getting to really know my fermented indigo vats. I have followed a rather strict protocol. Each vat began with a certain amount of indigo ..read more