Welcome to Homegrown Hues: Indigo Gardener’s Club! Throughout the course, you'll receive indigo seeds of your chosen variety (or varieties) and expert guidance to cultivate these plants 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 indigo plants.
At the end of the season, we will witness the magic of indigo dyeing as you learn to harvest your plants and extract pigment in real time through a monthly online 1-1.5 hour sessions. Our interactive sessions will guide you through the steps of creating your own indigo dye bath, allowing you to witness the transformation of leaves into a rich, blue hue.
Immerse yourself in the world of indigo from seed to dye in your own backyard (or your best lit window). Enrollment ends February 28th.
What you can expect from this course:
1. Seed Selection: You will choose between two distinct indigo varieties: the añil (tropical indigo), Japanese indigo, or opt for both!
2. Growing Guidance: Learn the ins and outs of indigo plant cultivation. Watch your plants flourish under your care with support from instructors and access to one-on-one help.
3. Harvesting and Extraction: Learn best practices to process the extraction of indigo pigment from your harvested leaves.
4. Dye Bath: Follow step-by-step instructions to create your own indigo vat. You will learn the different kinds of vats that are typically used when dyeing with indigo and which work best for your desired needs or project specifications.
6. Community Connection: Join a community of indigo enthusiasts, share experiences, and learn from each other's journeys. We will invite artisans and other guest experts to talk about their own practices and get more insight into indigo's history.
By the end of the class, you'll not only have a deeper understanding of indigo cultivation and dyeing but also the opportunity to learn hands-on.
Additional Details:
- Frequency: Once a month, starting in March 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 (March - October 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.
- Flexibility: Attend the class from the comfort of your home via video call from anywhere in the world! We also offer recordings if you happen to miss it.
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 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- and work with local farmers to incorporate into into their regenerative growing practices. As an artisan dyer, she developed products and educational materials using the same quality pigments normally 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, Carnegie Mellon and other arts institutions.
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!).