Dyeing Workshop

Our workshop preparation started on Monday – cutting plant material in our dyeing garden:

Japanese Indigo (Polygonum tinctorium) – blue:

Weld (Reseda luteola) – yellow:

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea v. nigra) – lavender grey:

Soaking the hollyhock blossoms in water over night:

On Wednesday morning our participants started preparing the dye baths and the fibres. Some brought their own textile samples to colour and were very curious about first results. We tested sheep wool, cotton, linen and synthetics.

After a short theoretical overview of the possibilties and challanges of plant dyes everyone was thrilled to see the fibres in their brand new colours.

Washing out the samples in the fountain. Onion skin dyed wool:

Bright yellows – weld:

Archiving the samples:

Yesterday’s colour palette:

In the breaks we got the chance to chat and drink coffee with the participants – who work in very different fields and came here out of various interests. But all people work with wool in one or the other way: knitters, alpaca and cashmere goat breeders, an embroiderer and a yarn picture maker.