naturally dyed

Workshop 2 –Yarn and fleece dyeing workshop  30^th May- 1^st June inclusive

Dyeing yarn and fleece for later use in weaving, sewing and felting projects gives beautiful, clear colours to the finished products.  But yarns and fleece require special handling pre-and post-dyeing and the dyeing process itself must be carried out carefully to ensure even colour distribution.  This workshop will focus on how to prepare yarns and fleece for dyeing, how to dye them carefully, and how to post-treat them so that the colour remains clear and the yarn or fleece emerges from the process untangled and ready to use.

This workshop will be 3 days long, and will take a maximum of 10 participants – it needs a minimum of 7 participants to run.   It will focus on three dyestuffs during the workshop: indigo, madder and weld, giving the basic colour spectrum of blue, red and yellow, and also showing differing techniques between a vat-dye (indigo) and an additive dye which needs the yarn or fleece to be first mordanted, and then to be heated for a long period (madder and weld). This is not so much a colour-dyeing workshop as a technique for dyeing workshop, and is aimed at spinners, knitters, weavers and felters particularly. Aboubakar will share his extensive knowledge on techniques of handling fleece and yarn from his several decades of working with spinners and weavers and understanding their needs in terms of dyestuff and colour.

Participants will come away with a working knowledge of how to prepare, dye and post-treat yarns and fleece so that the colour is strong and even, and so that the yarn or fleece is ready to work with and does not require untangling or further work.

These workshops will take place at the studio of textile artist Jude Craig – in Upwey at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges.

This workshop costs $550. 

To book a place, please contact johanna.macnaughtan@gmail.com