Natural Dye Workshop with Beatrice Brown
Instructor: Beatrice Brown
Days/Dates:
- Saturday, July 9, 2022
- Sunday, July 10, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Length: 2 Days / 7 Hours per Day (with Lunch Break)
Age: 18+
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Class Fee:
- OCAF Members $175
- Non-Members $225
Materials:
- Instructor will furnish all materials/equipment
- Students should wear old clothes they do not mind getting stained with dye
Location: OCAF School Street Studios
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Class Description
In this two-day hands-on, interactive workshop, participants will learn the basics of the natural dyeing process including extraction of the dye from botanical materials. Participants will create nine (9) dye pots and will learn corresponding recipes for use with cotton, linen and silk fabric.
This workshop will cover several key instructions for successful natural dyeing. Particpants will:
- Learn about mordants, tannins, dyes, and color shifts with metallic salts. This instruction will provide insight regarding color and light fastness, and chemical color shifts.
- See and achieve different effects of mordants with cellulose vs. protein fibers.
- Work with cloth to achieve vibrant colors using foraged and sourced natural dyes.
- Learn basic “dyer’s math,” principles of pH and the
importance of understanding of WOF (weight of fiber) in natural dyeing.
- Appreciate the natural variable beauty derived from botanicals vs. synthetic dyes.
- Compile a Natural Dye Journal with color swatches/samples produced during the workshop.
All materials, equipment and supplies will be provided by the instructor
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Instructor Bio
Bea states, "I was lucky to have been taught how to thread a needle by my grandmother when I was a young girl. During my summer visits, she would sit me on the back porch at her farm and insist that I help her make components of her quiltmaking. This 'chore' turned into a
fascination with the magic of fabric: the feel of it, the colors and how it transformed the human body. By the time I graduated high school, I was
convinced that I wanted to design clothes. When I became a stay-at-home mom, my focus shifted from fashion to quiltmaking, fiber arts, and
surface design. It has been my passion for over 40 years now. My current interests include working with naturally dyed fabrics, indigo and shibori techniques."
Bea received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hamptom University, Hampton, Virginia. Her work has been exhibited at galleries across the U.S., including Arizona, California, New York, and Georgia. She is a member of the Athens Modern Quilt Guild, the Studio Art Quilt Association, and the American Craft Council.