earthues

I am extremely fortunate to live near Earthues, a premier source of natural dye extracts and colorants serving artisans and industry for more than 30 years. I just love that they are committed to fair trade, non-toxic, culturally sensitive colors and dyes, and teaching the art of sustainable natural-dye techniques. My hat is off to these pioneering ladies!


In addition to offering a vast array of stunning dyes cultivated from around the world, Earthues provides exceptional customer service and an abundance of technical expertise. Case in point: yesterday I met with partner Kathy Hattori to discuss my upcoming woad project using hemp/organic cotton and hemp/silk charmeuse textiles. Not only did Kathy help me choose the correct mordants, color changers, scour, and supplies to get started, she set aside extra time to share her technical know-how and personal experiences with making "mother vats" of dye, mordanting fabric, and dipping. She gave me advice on which type of stock pot to buy and instructions for each step in the dye process. We even talked about our love for Bleu de Lectoure and her recent May visit to this tannery in France.


Kathy is a gem and I'm so grateful for all her assistance. Please consider Earthues for your next dye project. If you can't stop by their Seattle studio, visit them here for a list of retailers or here to place an order online. You won't be sorry.