Workshop: Natural Dyeing

Far away to another Island in Washington State magic was recently made under the tutelage of India Flint.  I was lucky enough to be there.

Arriving the day before the workshop began, I got to meet some of the local residents...
 

...see some of the sights...

 ...and wander through the hedgerows of this beautiful place.

 Lopez Island abounds in small farms...

 ...and fresh produce.

I got to feast on delicious local beets on several occasions.

 The workshop was held in a garden Alice in Wonderland would have been at home in.

Flowers as well as vegetables in neat rows exuded gorgeous aromas.

One of the first activities of day one was labeling our silk, cotton, and wool with our own mark.

 The initial bundles were made with a plant the Lopez dye group had not been able to achieve color from.  India accepted the challenge, made some helpful suggestions, and set us to work.

The contents of my first bundle included both green and 'toasted' leaves.

 Our bundles went into the pot of hot water to simmer.  It would be the next morning before we got to open them.  When we woke on day two, it felt like Christmas.

 The first bundles were so exciting, I nearly forgot that we had two more to open that morning!

 

 

How it was fascinating to see the diversity of our bundles.

We hung our newly-dyed treasures on the lines outside the workroom and went back to bundling.

 When the cloth was dry, we stitched our pieces together...

 ...and enjoyed a splendid exhibit of Lopez-dyed art cloth.

I had such a good time, learned so much and met so many kindred souls.

Thank you to Christie, Patsy, Raiti, Suzanne, Lisa and most of all, Favorite Bear, for giving me the time of my life and endless inspiration.