by Nicole Cleveland, Goldenrod Fiber Studio
Naturally dyeing with plants is a practice with thousands of years of history, as humans have an innate relationship to color. Chemical dyeing is less than 200 years old, but has quickly replaced the dyes in almost every garment, cloth, and yarn we purchase. While it has many commercial benefits, the ancient craft of botanical dyeing has the ability to re-root us back into the slower routines of life, and bring us in closer relationship with our environment, as well as the clothing and other items we live with so intimately. Dyeing from the plants in the yard, the weeds in the sidewalk, the kitchen scraps from dinner; this is an art form that draws us deeper into the rhythms of the seasons and the abundance of the gifts that exist all around us.
Join in learning the basics of natural dyeing with plants, and leave with all the knowledge you’ll need to confidently dye with the accessible colors that surround us every day. Aside from the basics of botanical dyeing, this class will broach broader questions about sustainability and fiber arts. We will explore what it means to dye with local color, and the long-term care of dyed items.
The content covered in each class will be similar, with the primary difference being the materials that will be dyed. The yarn class requires some additional time and minor adjustments to process steps.
Workshop 1: Dye With Plants! – Fabric
$40 RKG Member Class Rate/ $50 Non-Member Class Rate
*Additional materials fee ($14/$16)
Saturday, March 28th, 10:30am – 1:30pm
East Lodge, Churchville Park
101 N Main St, Churchville, NY 14428
Sunday, March 29th, 10:30am – 1:30pm
West Lodge, Churchville Park
101 N Main St, Churchville, NY 14428
In this class, we will work with whole, dried botanical dye plants to create beautiful watercolor effects on cloth. Choose between a cotton bandana, cotton drawstring project bag, or silk scarf. You will learn the essentials of natural dyeing, including the pre-treatment processes of scouring and mordanting, as well as techniques for effective bundled botanical dyeing. All materials will be pre-treated before the workshop.
(Class Limit: 12)
Workshop 2: Dye With Plants! – Yarn
$50 RKG Member Class Rate/ $60 Non-Member Class Rate
*Additional materials fee ($9/$24)
Saturday, March 28th, 2:30pm – 6:30pm
East Lodge, Churchville Park
101 N Main St, Churchville, NY 14428
Sunday, March 29th, 2:30pm – 6:30pm
West Lodge, Churchville Park
101 N Main St, Churchville, NY 14428
In this class, we will work with whole, dried botanical dye plants to create beautiful speckled and variegated yarns. This extended class will cover the essentials of natural dyeing, including the pre-treatment processes of scouring and mordanting, as well as techniques for effective bundle AND immersion dyeing with plants. The yarns for this workshop will be pre-treated prior, and participants have the option to submit their own stash yarns to be pre-treated for the workshop.
If paying with check, make check payable to the
Rochester Knitting Guild for the total amount, and mail to:
Rochester Knitting Guild
PO Box 92264
Rochester, NY 14692
Class size is limited due to the hands on nature of the class. Registration will be confirmed upon confirmation of payment in order of receipt. You will be provided a copy of your registration form at confirmation along with some preliminary details regarding the workshop based on your class selection.
A waitlist will be created if any of the classes sell out.
