Welcome to our hands-on Homegrown Hues: Botanical Dyeing Series! In this unique class, you will cultivate your own natural dye garden with a selection of native North American dye flowers from seed to finished dye. The two varieties are:
4 Pack - coreopsis, marigolds, black-eyed susans, cosmos
6 Pack - coreopsis, marigolds, cosmos, yarrow, black-eyed susans, sunflower
Throughout the course, you'll receive a variety of seeds and expert guidance to cultivate these plants right alongside your fellow participants. Our instructor and guests will walk you through the entire process, from germination to full bloom, ensuring that you develop the skills to nurture your flower bed. Many flowers hold both medicinal and natural dye properties. Students will learn the cultural, medicinal and historic traditions tied to these plants as well as the various colors achievable with each flower.
At the end of the season, we will witness the magic of plant-based dyeing as you learn to harvest your plants and extract pigment in real time through monthly online sessions. There will also be optional in-person meet-ups for those located near Nashville, TN. Our interactive sessions will guide you through the steps of creating your own dye bath, allowing you to witness the transformation of leaves and petals into rich hues.
Optional Add-on: In this course we will learn the basics on what color variants each flower produces and how to prepare garments or fabric for dyeing. Our option course add-on will add an additional class that goes into various dye applications like overdyeing, eco-printing, and yarn dyeing.
What you can expect from this gardening and dyeing course:
1. **Seed Selection:** Choose between 3 or 5 variety pack of natural dye flowers including: coreopsis, marigolds, cosmos, yarrow, black-eyed susans, sunflower, chamomile, and others.
2. **Growing Guidance:** Learn the ins and outs of cultivation from natural dye artisans and guest experts. Watch your plants flourish under your care with support from the instructor and access to one-on-one help.
3. **Harvesting Ritual:** Experience the satisfaction of harvesting your plants at home and how to best prepare your dye materials.
4. **Pigment Extraction and Dye Bath:** Dive into the mesmerizing process of extracting color and learning how to modify pigment to develop other shades. Follow step-by-step instructions to create your own dye bath.
6. **Community Connection:** Join a community of natural dye and gardening enthusiasts, share experiences, and learn from each other's journeys.
Additional Details:
Frequency - Once a month, starting in April 2024. We will try to find a time that works best for everyone.
Duration - Each session will last for 1-1.5 hours, providing a perfect balance of learning and “hands-on” experience over the span of 8 months (April - September 2024)
Materials - you will get seeds of your choosing along with an introduction booklet and monthly pdfs walking your through the process with supplemental information like the history and cultures that utilized this plant.
Flexibility - attend the class from the comfort of your home via video call from anywhere in the world! Those located near Nashville, TN will have the opportunity to attend optional in-person meet ups.
About the Instructor:
Eva is very passionate about indigo and hopes to find a way to make it accessible to anyone who wants to learn! She is a French-Caribbean born artisan currently living outside Nashville, TN. While attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for her MFA in Curatorial Practice, she began her natural dye journey by volunteering at Blue Light Junction’s dye garden as part of the Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative and contributing to the Indigo Shade Map's research. Eva's expertise in indigo grew at Stony Creek Colors, where she aided in creating recipes and developing plant-based colors for brands like Patagonia and Nike to replace harmful synthetic dyes. She learned cultivation within their seed genetics program that aimed to create a plant that was high in indigotin - the color that indigo is known for. As an artisan dyer, she developed products and educational materials using the same quality pigments reserved for textile manufacturers to at-home and independent artisans. She has been invited to give lectures and hosts workshops at universities like FIT, the Materials Institute, and Carnegie Mellon and other arts institutions.
Her gardening goals: Eva is interested in all things textiles (weaving, spinning, knitting) and expanding her TINY backyard homestead. Eva's MFA thesis focused on medicinal plant traditions inspired by her family’s own practices in Mexico and continues to focus on cultivating multi-use plants (without breaking the bank!).