Botanical Colors

10/24/2026

Madder Orange extract

We acquired some natural dyes from a supplier recently, and one of the highlights of their collection is a finely powdered madder extract from Rubia cordifolia. We were really surprised at how strong and how orange the color turned out. This dye yields a very vivid and deep orange-red, very different from our standard madder extract. On cotton, the color is a redder shade, but still leans strongly toward orange. There’s a surprise color which is a rich chocolate brown that comes with dyeing the yarn on iron-mordanted wool fibers. Lighter shades from the exhaust bath yielded coral and peach shades.

Our photos show the comparison between this new madder orange extract, and our standard madder extract. These come from two different suppliers.

The dye is also hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts moisture from the air and becomes sticky in humid conditions. Please store it in an airtight container.

10/23/2026

Marigold Harvest from our dear friend Kara at . Kara came to the studio to drop off her 2026 harvest! Head to the raw dyestuffs section of our website for the bounty!

10/22/2026

Coptic Bookbinding with Alison Kaplan of Kata Golda Handmade

Saturday, January 16, 2027
In Person at Botanical Colors Studio
503 S Michigan St, Ste B
Seattle WA 98108
9 AM-3:30 PM

In this intimate class, students will learn the art of coptic bookbinding with Alison Kaplan of Kata Golda Handmade. The coptic bookbinding technique creates a flexible book with an exposed spine; the pages open flat, making it the perfect journal for writing and sketching. Building on decades of bookbinding experience, Alison makes this craft feel approachable and adaptable. She will showcase an assortment of finished handbound journals in many sizes so everyone can see the endless possibilities.
Participants will make a book covered in plant-dyed fabric that is 6.25” wide and 9.5” tall and contains 116 pages. For the covers, students will choose from an endless array of Botanical Colors naturally dyed fabric scraps and create patchwork covers with the option to stitch embroidered designs.

All tools and materials are provided, and participants will leave class with tools and instructions to continue their bookbinding journey at home.

We will provide

assorted plant-dyed fabrics for the cover and back
waxed thread
drawing paper for book interior
card stock
curved needle
acid-free adhesive (PVA)
sponge brush
awl
bone folder
embroidery floss and hand sewing needle
Feel free to bring

special fabrics or scraps
any sewing tools you use that are not listed above.
notebook and pen
sack lunch and water bottle
Cancellation Policy

All sales are final and we are unable to refund or transfer your place. You may find a replacement if you are unable to attend. Please let us know if you have a replacement for your spot. Thank you for your cooperation.

Kata Golda Trunk Show

Alison will bring her wonderful plant-dyed stitching kits, notions, books and more to a trunk show held at Botanical Colors. Friday January 15 from 3-5 and Saturday January 16 from 10-4.

10/14/2026

Foraging for dye mushrooms for the incredible Julie Beeler workshop that is currently underway!

10/13/2026

AN ARTIST RETREAT · 12 TO 24 JUNE 2027 EAST BALI AND UBUD

Twelve nights in Bali with Botanical Colors and Threads of Life.
We start with village visits in east Bali meeting weavers and dyers where they work, then nine nights in Ubud. Six full days working at the dye studio, where mornings are led by the studio instructors and afternoons are personal studio practice.

What is new for 2027: the trip is geared as an artist retreat creating your own body of work. Give yourself room to experiment working with the colors of Bali, supported by skilled dyers. We have intentionally kept the group size small to facilitate personalized inquiry. The dyers that support the studio are wonderful, and the attention you receive to make your work is what makes this trip all the more special. A rare and unique way to be supported in your practice.

Interested? Email [email protected] for more informatin

10/10/2026

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is a North American coneflower, a perennial that readily self sows, and a strong attractor to pollinators. We love its cheery bright yellow and near black, velvety center eyes.

The color yield from Black Eyed Susan is surprising and exciting. With a dye bath that is pH neutral, wool dyes a beautiful soft green with alum, and a dark brown-olive with iron mordant.

For our samples, we used 1:1 Black Eyed Susan to wool gauze weight of fabric (meaning for every gram of fabric, we weighed out a gram of flowers), added the flowers to water, then heated the flowers and water for about 45 minutes. The flowers are light and bulky, so it took a little time for them to hydrate and release their color. After that, we strained the flowers out of the dye bath, kept the liquid and added wool gauze to the liquid, which was our dye bath. We dyed for about 1 hour, then let the fabric steep in the dye bath overnight. Please note that we usually recommend longer times for obtaining darker shades, but we saw how strong this dyestuff was and shortened our dye times. The leftover flowers have plenty of color in them and can be extracted with more water again.

Protein fibers such as wool achieve a luminous yellow-green. Plant fibers such as cotton will be a lighter shade and may benefit from longer dye times.

The wool was mordanted at 15% aluminum potassium sulfate, and the darker wool sample was mordanted with iron only, at 2%. Check our instructions for iron mordant and for mordanting with aluminum potassium sulfate.

Sold in 50 gram packages

10/09/2026

Hopi Black Sunflower Dye (Helianthus annuus) is a traditional indigenous dye color used for baskets and wool dyeing. Our sunflower seeds came from a grower in central Washington, and they are gorgeous. Inky and full of pigment, we were thrilled at the beautiful smoky blue gray produced on wool gauze fabric.

For our samples, we used 1:1 sunflower seeds to wool gauze weight of fabric (meaning for every gram of fabric, we weighed out a gram of seeds), added the seeds to water, then heated the seeds and water for about 45 minutes. After that, we strained the seeds out of the dye bath, kept the liquid and added wool gauze to the liquid, which was our dye bath. We dyed for about 1 hour, then let the fabric cool and steep in the dye bath overnight. Please note that we usually recommend longer times for obtaining darker shades, but we saw how strong this dyestuff was and shortened our dye times. The leftover sunflower seeds have plenty of color in them and can be extracted with more water again.

Protein fibers such as wool achieve a gray to gray blue, and some dyers report getting a muted lilac. Plant fibers such as cotton will be a lighter shade and may benefit from longer dye times.

The wool was mordanted at 15% aluminum potassium sulfate, and the darker wool sample was mordanted with iron only, at 2%. Check our instructions for iron mordant and for mordanting with aluminum potassium sulfate.

Sold in 50 gram packages

10/07/2026

Osage Orange Extract

We are pleased to offer an extract of an indigenous North American dye plant, Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera). The Osage tree is native to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, and has naturalized in many parts of the country. The tree is prized for its strong wood and beautiful yellow-brown color. It forms a dense thicket and spreads through seed and root propagation.

Our Osage is a very concentrated powdered extract which dissolves easily in hot water and yields a gorgeous deep golden yellow. We think you’ll be pleased with the rich shades you can achieve with this extract. It mixes well with madder to make a deep orange, and when overdyed with indigo, it makes a beautiful leaf green.

The tree is named after the Osage nation in Oklahoma.

From 1935 to 1942, the New Deal funded an ambitious project called the Great Shelterbelt, which stretched for 1,300 miles from Texas to Canada. At that time, the entire region was suffering from massive dust storms, drought, and eroded topsoil referred to as the Dust Bowl. 220 million Osage and other trees were planted in rows of 17 trees: deep enough to hold soil and water, and to break the scouring action of the wind on adjoining fields. In all, 33,000 shelterbelts were planted. Along with improved soil management and restoration, Osage played a crucial role during a period of economic and environmental crisis.

10/06/2026

The weather is wonderful and the mushrooms are coming out. So are the snakes, but this one is harmless. Snoqualmie Falls was gorgeous!

10/01/2026