The Story: The Magic of Color from the Earth
This gathering is for people who are ready for the thrill of natural color on cloth! Let’s take a long weekend together and immerse ourselves in lustrous materials, skill-building, and a little ruckus - so that you head into the year with beautiful, hand-made textiles of your own making, fresh confidence in your craft, and new tools for your practice.
It seems like all of us find ourselves pining for the chance to really enjoy the parts of life that we relish. As with all the workshops I teach, I’m starting with the shining vision of a group that’s relaxed, engaged, and learning hands-on with amazing materials - some exotic, some from the plants at your feet.
In this three day workshop participants will explore natural dyes from roots, leaves, flowers, and even bugs to create multicolored cloth suitable for quilting, wearables or other projects.
By applying different mordants with brushes, blocks and stencils we will create patterns, which are revealed in the dye pots. An indigo vat will be incorporated to add additional color opportunities.
From my time in university, to running my own business over the last 25 years, to connecting with dye plants at home and in my travels, I’ve focused on the power of natural dyes to instill silk, wool, and cotton with delicious colors and patterns.
Don’t miss this chance to become more connected to color and life with Spike and me at Tiny T Ranch.
The Facts: Polychromatic Cloth?
What? In this workshop we will explore making multicolored cloth using natural dyes.
We will do this by printing, painting and stenciling to apply different mordants to cloth prior to dyeing with natural dyes.
We will also apply resists and over dye with natural indigo
The result will be multiple pieces of dyed fabric that can be used to create garments, quilts or other projects.
This class will give students space to explore, build skills, connect & learn together
Comprehensive packet with all instructions will be provided. Fun for all skill levels.
When? January 13-16 (MLK Weekend) There will be an optional Friday Night Show & Tell Social to kick things off. Workshop hours are Saturday, Sunday & Monday 10-4
Cost? $450 fee includes three days of instruction and materials. Housing is not included.
Where? Tiny T Ranch in Garfield Texas - twenty minutes from Austin.
What should students bring to class?
Apron
Rubber gloves
Note taking supplies
Towel
Optional:
Textile printing blocks, stencils
Self healing mat
1 yard of scoured medium weight (like muslin) natural fiber cloth
Tiny Chapel of Kindness at the Tiny T Ranch
About Tiny T Ranch
Housing is available on site at Tiny T Ranch located in Garfield, Texas which is 20 minutes from Austin. (Internet maps insist Tiny T is in Del Valle - however Garfield, Texas is a place and does indeed exist in the real world.) This will be my third trip to the wonderful Tiny T to teach. Our Host Spike Gillespie is a marvelous human I have been lucky enough to know for many years.
Contact Spike Directly to book your stay using the button.
A rainbow of possibilities…
Iris With some samples on the line at Dream Bird Studio in Astoria Oregon.