Local Color: Botanical Printing and Dyeing with LIsa Binkley

Thurs-Sat, September 21-23, 2023 | 9am-4pm all 3 days | Deadline to register: Sept 14 

$395 class fee + $30 kit fee | Ages 18+

Dyeing with plant pigments and other natural materials (insects, lichen, etc.) has been practiced and refined for thousands of years—for as long as humans have made cloth and wished to beautify it. Printing with plants has been practiced for generations through such traditions as Easter egg decoration and as a way to create pattern and imagery on fabric.

During this workshop students learn about the history of dyeing and printing with plants; how to prepare fabric for dyeing and printing; ways to secure and alter dye color on cloth; and many ways to get patterns and images on fabric with a variety of mordants and plant materials. We begin by gathering our printing and dyeing plants from the area surrounding the workshop (and at home). Then we explore dyeing solid and mottled colors with botanical pigments both individually and in combination; printing plant materials onto fabrics; eco-printing and dyeing together. These fabrics will all have a distinct connection to the place and time of the workshop.