Summer Workshop
“An Abundance of Color: Foraged and Farmed Natural Dyes”
Cost: $315.00 for two days, including materials
2020: Stay tuned for self-paced, remote learning materials!
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This weekend workshop will immerse you in the practice of foraging for dye materials from the local fields and forests, as well as introduce you to dye gardening. We will discover and collect from the abundance of seasonal flowers, leaves, roots, bark, mushrooms and lichen that grows around my southern Vermont studio and dye with what we bring back. We will progress through the full natural dyeing process from mordanting fibers, making dye solutions of different concentrations, and seeing what colors emerge. Topics covered will include: ethical foraging practices, methods of preserving different dye materials to retain color potential, extraction techniques, dyeing and over-dyeing for a range of colors, and color and light fastness. I will encourage you to be curious, explore and play to build your confidence as a dyer.
We will augment what we find with my stash of preserved materials, so we will have lots to play with regardless of the weather and seasonal productivity. Examples of dyes we will likely explore include:
We will be spending several hours outside foraging and harvesting off of trails, on uneven ground in unknown weather conditions! The dye studio setup also blends between indoor and outdoor spaces with a possibility of mosquito encounters in some weather conditions. I will provide various bug repellants for everyone to use.
Food: I will provide tea, coffee and some snacks and seasonable garden nibbles. To accommodate both local and out of town participants, you are welcome to either bring your own lunch, or for $15 order lunch from a local cafe. I will send out the cafe menu to registered participants in the weeks before the workshop.
We will augment what we find with my stash of preserved materials, so we will have lots to play with regardless of the weather and seasonal productivity. Examples of dyes we will likely explore include:
- Summer flowers: Goldenrod, Queen Anne’s Lace, Rudbeckia
- Tree tannins: Sumac and Black Walnut
- Wild Madder root
- Mushrooms: Hydnellum and Phellodon spp., Tapinella atrotomentosa, Lobster, Dyer’s Polypore
- Lichen: Umbilicaria and/or Punctelia rudecta
- Japanese indigo and Dyer’s Coreopsis from the garden
- Rhubarb leaves for mordant
We will be spending several hours outside foraging and harvesting off of trails, on uneven ground in unknown weather conditions! The dye studio setup also blends between indoor and outdoor spaces with a possibility of mosquito encounters in some weather conditions. I will provide various bug repellants for everyone to use.
Food: I will provide tea, coffee and some snacks and seasonable garden nibbles. To accommodate both local and out of town participants, you are welcome to either bring your own lunch, or for $15 order lunch from a local cafe. I will send out the cafe menu to registered participants in the weeks before the workshop.
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Cost:
$315.00, which includes:
- 12 - 5 gram skeins of yarn for a sample from every dye pot
- All dye materials (gifts from nature!)
- Printed instructions of natural dyeing basics in a binder where you can also organize your dye samples
- My self published field guide to Foraged Dyes of Southern Vermont
- Coffee/tea and snacks
Where:
My studio and home — a 3/4 acre micro-homestead on the grounds of a c.1820 brick schoolhouse — at 284 Brookline Rd., Athens, VT 05143
See this page for information on area accommodations for anyone coming from out of town.
Allergy note: Although she will not be here during the workshop and the entire place will be cleaned, there is a dog who lives in my house.
When:
Late summer 2020, dates TBD
Saturday 9-5
Sunday 9-5
What to Bring:
- Writing tools
- Clothing that can get grubby, hiking boots/shoes, long socks, long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat, rain gear
- Snacks and lunches (or order from a local cafe)
- Basket with a handle, if you have one
- Folding pocket knife and/or hand pruners if you have them
- Curiosity and enthusiasm :)
How to Register:
No experience necessary, but varying fiber and dyeing experience welcomed!
Space is limited to 8 participants!
Follow the registration link and pay a non-refundable $50 registration fee. Invoices for the the balance of the cost will be sent out around August 1st.
Email any questions to Hannah at [email protected].
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Feedback from previous workshops:
“I was so impressed with your vision and incredible attention to detail — from the handspun skeins to the beautiful field guide to the hand-printed cards to the wonderful meals — everything was perfect! I learned so much!” ~Suzanne
“Thank you for so much inspiration! My head and soul are full.” ~Gay
“Thank you for such a wonderful experience! You did an amazing job and communicated and executed everything so well.” ~Mark
“There was a lot of information, both about natural dyeing and the various dye stuffs, but your overview was clear and not too overwhelming in scope. I also felt that, while I had done a lot more natural dyeing than the other participants, I still learned a lot and had a lot of questions that you were able to answer. It was a great way to jump start my re-entry into the dying lifestyle!” ~Nicole
“Perfectly paced, a lot accomplished, and your field guide and other handouts will enable me to continue exploring on my own. Ailyn’s meals were delicious and gave participants a chance to talk and connect. I found that organizing the notebook with reminders of what we had done to be really helpful. I am looking at things in a different way on my morning walks (but I still need training in finding the fungi).” ~Wendy
“I was so impressed with your vision and incredible attention to detail — from the handspun skeins to the beautiful field guide to the hand-printed cards to the wonderful meals — everything was perfect! I learned so much!” ~Suzanne
“Thank you for so much inspiration! My head and soul are full.” ~Gay
“Thank you for such a wonderful experience! You did an amazing job and communicated and executed everything so well.” ~Mark
“There was a lot of information, both about natural dyeing and the various dye stuffs, but your overview was clear and not too overwhelming in scope. I also felt that, while I had done a lot more natural dyeing than the other participants, I still learned a lot and had a lot of questions that you were able to answer. It was a great way to jump start my re-entry into the dying lifestyle!” ~Nicole
“Perfectly paced, a lot accomplished, and your field guide and other handouts will enable me to continue exploring on my own. Ailyn’s meals were delicious and gave participants a chance to talk and connect. I found that organizing the notebook with reminders of what we had done to be really helpful. I am looking at things in a different way on my morning walks (but I still need training in finding the fungi).” ~Wendy