In this three-part lecture series, learn from textile artist Aaron Sanders Head how to turn kitchen scraps and foraged plants into natural dyes.
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. All sessions are recorded and can be re-wartched until 2 weeks after the final class date.
Syllabus at a Glance
This course includes three total sessions, each lasting for 1.5 hours on three consecutive Tuesdays beginning May 16.
Session 1 (Tuesday, 5/16, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Materials, Setting Up Your Dye Studio, and Mordanting
Session 2 (Tuesday, 5/23, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Kitchen Waste Dyes, Bundle Dyeing, and Resist Methods
Session 3 (Tuesday, 5/30, 7:30-9 PM ET) | Immersion Dyeing with Flowers, Nuts, and Foraged Items & Understanding pH Shifts