Come on an adventure to discover living color!
In this workshop, you can expect a short introduction to the craft of natural dyeing and then we’ll set up solar dye projects together and discuss God’s participation in this collaborative art form!
Solar dyeing uses cold-water fermentation instead of simmering to dye the fiber material. We’ll start by preparing our fibers in scouring and mordanting baths, then the experiment will begin when we pack jars full of fiber and color material! Take home your jar and leave it outside in the sun to watch the color slowly appear over the next 3-14 days!
The final piece may fade or change color over time, but there is never-ending worth in your work. Just like how the dye came from a living thing, the piece of art you created lives on!
TEACHER: Fiber artist Ellie Benedict
Ellie's meditation on "Collaborating with God through Natural Dyeing" was published in our journal's Spring 2023 issue.
GROUP SIZE: 20
LOCATION: Seekers Church, 276 Carroll Street NW Washington, DC 20012. Located 1 block from Takoma Park Metro stop on the red line. Metered parking is available on surrounding streets and in the Takoma Metro parking lot (Metro parking is free on weekends). Limited parking spaces behind the Seekers building are available for event coordinators and attendees with limited mobility.
FEE: A sliding scale fee of $10-15 helps cover supplies (see supply list below), space rental, and artist honorarium. You can enter your chosen amount in Eventbrite’s "donation" box at checkout (though please note this is actually an event fee rather than a tax-deductible donation). Financial aid is available by contacting hello@vitapoetica.org. We always welcome general donations to help us keep our events and programs accessible. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.vitapoetica.org/donate.
CANCELLATION / REFUND: For cancellations made at least 1 day prior to the event, a refund minus processing fees will be issued. A full refund will be issued if the event itself is cancelled.
Register below or directly at Eventbrite here.
SUPPLY LIST:
We will provide all soaps and chemicals needed for fiber prep, as well as one cotton bandana and one jar per person. You bring what you want to try dyeing with.
Some ideas include:
onion skins
avocado skins
avocado pits
cabbage scraps
tea leaves
carrot tops
coffee
hibiscus
pomegranate rinds
rosemary
turmeric
spinach
walnut hulls
mint
Things high in tannins work best, and surprisingly, some things that are brilliantly colored like citrus, flowers, and beets produce very little or no color.
You can also bring extra fabric, extra dye material, and extra jars if you’d like to do more than one experiment. We’ll prioritize everyone making one project, but you can use any extra time or materials to start multiple solar dye jars.
If you want to bring your own fabric (or yarn!) to dye, make sure it is all-natural like cotton, linen, hemp or bamboo (all cellulose fibers) or silk and wool (protein fibers).
If you want to bring extra jars, be aware that jars used for dyeing are rendered non-food safe. Clear glass jars work best.