Introduction
I chose to create a project surrounding natural dyeing as a fiber art because of the sheep back on my family’s farm in Kingston, WA. I had worked with their wool in the past through making a vegan sheep fleece rug, which was a highly time-consuming but fun project for me. That sheep fleece rug now lies on the floor of my bedroom and is the inspiration for this spring quarter project.
While I am not entirely sure if I will be working with a lot of wool this quarter or if I will mostly be focusing on other, more available fibers, I am excited to learn and start my journey with natural dyes. I am excited to experiment and forage and make mistakes but also create beautiful art through such an interesting area of fiber arts. I hope to carry this passion with me for a long time.
What is a Natural Dye?
A natural dye is a dye or colorant that is created through the use of naturally occurring materials. Most natural dyes today are derived from plant material, such as leaves, flowers, roots, bark, and berries, but the use of certain insects and minerals has also been traced back over thousands of years. For the purpose of this project, I will be sticking with foraged plant material for my dyes, but some of my research will encompass the use of other natural dyes as well.
Resources
My mother had ordered a bunch of natural colorant books that she let me borrow and use for my project. The majority of them contain very similar information on dyeing techniques, materials, and natural colors available in different areas. The Handbook of Natural Colorants edited by Thomas Bechtold and Rita Mussak is a valuable find because of its information on the history of natural dyes and specific antique colors. Finally, I was very fortunate to get in touch with multiple natural dye experts, including my old high school art teacher, Kathy Griffey, who gave me Spinning and Dyeing Yarn by Ashley Martineau and also A Dyer’s Garden by Rita Buchanan.
Materials
Working out of Harvesting Color by Rebecca Burgess, I compiled a list of tools necessary to create a beginner’s dyeing kit:
Beginner’s Dyeing Kit:
- Scale*
- Measuring spoons*
- Alum*
- Litmus paper for pH testing*
- Pots (assortment of copper, stainless steel)
- Bowls
- Stirring utensils (assortment)
- Hot plate/camping stove for outdoor use*
- Gathering basket
- Clippers/scissors
As of the end of Week 2, I had only compiled 3 of these required elements of my dyeing kit. I had discovered that being a money-conscious college student living in an on-campus college apartment would prove to be one of my bigger setbacks throughout this project, starting with the fact that I just don’t have the money to go around spending on a bunch of dyeing equipment. Because of this, the starred items within the above list are what I have considered unnecessary for my current project. I made these choices based off of my research on different dyeing processes I hope to try throughout the quarter, and also on the fact that I am really excited to just jump in and experiment without the need of exact measurements or known pH numbers. The one item I am most disappointed to have to deem unnecessary would be the outdoor cooking stove. Working within the constraints of my tiny apartment kitchen will be a challenge for me; I would much prefer to be able to work out in the open without having to worry as much about making a mess.