Join us on Wednesday March 31, 6-7:30pm EST for a very exciting workshop led by Laura Sansone: Dyeing with Regional Plants!
Be sure to check the most recent First Year newsletter for the Zoom link and password 🙂 Â
The Dyeing with Regional Plants workshop teaches students how to extract dye from plants, how to shift the pH of the dye in order to change colors, and how to go about dyeing various natural fibers. Dyeing with Regional Plants also discusses bioregional textile production and how to design using the capacities and limitations of specific ecosystems. Our exploration will address ways we might apply this methodology to our current manufacturing systems in order to implement regenerative production of clothing, textile products and interior designs. In this workshop, we will also discuss circularity and re-purposing as we use textile scraps, agricultural byproducts and food waste as materials. Supplies aren’t required to attend this workshop. Participants can also observe and take notes.
Equipment:
(1) non reactive pot (stainless steel, teflon coated or porcelain-no aluminum or copper) The size can vary between 1qt or larger.
(3-4) stirring sticks (take-out chop sticks work great).
(4) 1 qt glass mason jars, sauce jars or even plastic containers with lids.
(1)- 5qt plastic bucket (or a large plastic container)
(1) Set of Measuring spoons, or regular teaspoon and tablespoon.
(3-6) pieces of pH strip for testing
(9-12) Textile scraps of a natural material like cotton, silk, wool, bamboo, hemp
Ingredients:
Mordants
McCormick Alum (aluminum potassium sulfate)
Assortment of rusted metal (nails, old files, drill bits, pins, metal lathe). Soak in plastic bucket with water for a few days to make an iron mordant.
Other additives you can use to change the pH of the dyebath:
Cream of Tartar (tartaric acid)
Vinegar (acetic acid)
Lemon Juice (Citric Acid).
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)