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Natural Dyes: Creating a Plant-Based Palette with Atlas Obscura - VIRTUAL

Join me for this virtual workshop with Atlas Obscura! This workshop takes place via zoom beginning on 4/6, 4/14 and 4/20 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM CENTRAL. Recordings are available of each session for 2 weeks after the final session takes place.

Registration can be found here, with more details below.

Course Description

Onion skins have a secret. They, like many kinds of plant matter, can be transformed into a palette of brilliant colors—dyes ranging from copper to deep mustard. In this three-part online course, we’ll learn how to create natural dyes using everything from kitchen scraps to foraged plants. We’ll begin with the basics, learning the tools and terms needed to get started before setting up a dye bath and diving into the process. Not only will we use food scraps, plant dye powders, and extracts to color textiles, but we’ll also learn how to forage for regional dyestuff, depending on your local ecology. By the end of this workshop, you’ll walk away with a palette of fabrics dyed using local plants or extracts and powders, as well as a repeatable method for creating color from the contents of your compost bin.

Syllabus at a Glance

This course includes three total sessions, each lasting for 1.5 hours on three consecutive Wednesdays beginning April 6. 

Session 1 (Wednesday, 4/6, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Materials, Setting Up Your Dye Studio, and Mordanting

Session 2 (Wednesday, 4/13, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Kitchen Waste Dyes, Bundle Dyeing, and Resist Methods 

Session 3 (Wednesday, 4/20, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Immersion Dyeing with Flowers, Nuts, and Foraged Items & Understanding pH Shifts 

Registration can be found here.