ISLAND Dye Workshop

I taught a natural dye workshop today through ISLAND and the Dhaseleer Events Barn, with fellow dyer and professor at North Central Michigan College, Shanna Robinson. We did a basic alum mordant, and dyed with Weld harvested from Shanna's dye garden and Tansy that grows wild in the area. We also did a sustainable clothing indigo dye with pre-reduced synthetic indigo. It (of course) ran over, and was way too much fun.

I now have swatches for both weld and tansy, including enough to include them in my Iron and Copper mordant testing tomorrow!!! I'm incredibly psyched that I got to try both of these dyes, as I hadn't done either before. They both give beautiful, clear yellows, but I must express my preference towards the Weld, of the two. It was just such a saturated color!!!! le sigh. Too bad it's evil and invasive (haha which dye plants aren't?) or I'd grow some myself.