Dyeing - With Indigo and Food Waste
Guided by textile designer, researcher, artist and textiles teacher Joanna Fowles, we will be using food scraps and waste from The Craft Sessions weekend retreat. Utilising what we have available (onion skins, cabbage, avocado pits etc) we will convert this waste into precious dye before it hits the compost heap. We will also use a beautiful pre prepared indigo vat.
Students will explore simple shibori stitch and fold resist techniques to then immerse in a variety of natural dye baths.
Teacher: Joanna Fowles
Workshop Duration: Full Day
Description: Natural dyes and the process of dye will be discussed.
Swatches of shibori samples will be shown alongside discussion of three simple techniques - stitch, wrapping and folding. Students will then have the opportunity experiment on small text swatches a variety of explorations.
Materials to bring:
Optional Kit for each student to purchase at $35 which includes:
1.5 x metre organic cotton pre washed
10 x metres wool yarn
10 x metres cotton yarn
20cm alpaca wool fabric swatch
Or students are to bring:
1-2 metres pre washed natural fibres - cotton / silk / linen / wool
yarn - wool / silk or cotton
Takeaway: A basic understanding of natural dye, fibre types and preparation of fibres. A beautiful selection of samples.
Level: Beginner
Prerequisites: None
Homework: Pre wash any fabrics you are bringing to class.
So I wrote last week a post asking “Is my making fast fashion?”. And then I did a video on Instagram discussing similar topics in a slightly different way. And as always, you lovely humans have helped me clarify some of my thinking with your thoughtful, clever commentary.
And while I think there is so much more to discuss, here are four key possibly-more-meta ideas that have come up for me out of those conversations.
In using the quote last week that suggested that there was no single answer, and suggesting that this was freeing, I really did mean that we should sit in the grey. Not that the lack of “an” answer to this question should mean we get to ignore the question but rather that the lack of “an” answer means that we need to keep asking bigger more beautiful questions. And keep asking them.
Is my making fast fashion?
Am I living my values or merely thinking them?
And how can I make those two things a little more aligned in this moment?
These are my big beautiful questions.
Yours might be different.
And importantly this leads to point 2.