Plant based dyes: intro

Come and dye with us! Come learn the joy and experimental process of working with natural plant based dyes by working together with other workshop participants to transform different dye plants into your own unique colors. We’ll have at least four different colors and an array of examples pre-made to serve as our guide. Learn how to harvest in our dye garden for all the necessary materials. Interested in growing these plants? They’re easy to grow or forage, we’ll show you!

As we experience the process, we will discuss the importance and impact of plant based dyes throughout history, consider the differences and complexities of dyeing animal based fabric versus plant based fabric, and learn about the chemical process involved in making your plant based dye permanent. This is a great introductory course because it works with different techniques for dye extraction and fabric preparation.

Everyone will get to take home 4 fat quarters of cotton (22” x 18”). These may be used for future projects like quilting or hemmed into a napkin. You will have the knowledge to be able to grow your own dyeing materials! This 120-minute project was designed for those aged 18 and up.