I spent all of last weekend learning how to use natural dyes. Mackenzie Frère (whose residency at MOCC begins this week) was an excellent instructor. The whole process was fascinating, particularly the stuff about pre- and post-mordanting. What a huge difference this makes in the variations of color you can get from one dye! We used logwood, madder, cochineal, marigolds, carrot tops and turmeric and ended up with about 30 different colors. I think the logwood and marigold were my favorite. I would love to see what combining those two would look like.
Books on my wish list now include: Wild Color, The Complete Guide to Natural Dyeing and The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes. This summer, Kirk and I are going to transform the former laundry room in our basment into a really simple dye studio for me. Really exciting!
Full set of images here.
