Class Activities and Assignments Due
Week 1 (April 5):
Dyeing with Tannins and Iron.
Where: We meet in The Dye Lab, Art 0641 (in the Atrium) at 10AM, from there we will walk out around the lagoon.
Handouts:
Tannins and Iron
Week 4 (April 26):
Dyeing with non-native plants and cochineal
Where: More Mesa, we will meet at 10AM in the parking area at More Mesa [
Map]
Wear long pants, there is a fair amount of poison oak in the park.
We will be picking non-native plants and some cochineal.
We will spend an hour or so in the park then go back to the dye lab.
Handouts:
Cochineal
Dyeing with Non Native Plants
Week 5 (May 3):
(Working with the samples from last week) Dyeing with cochineal. Mordanting protein fibers with alum.
Where: The dye lab
Handouts:
Cochineal
Mordanting silk
Week 6 (May 10):
Eco-Printing/Bundle Dyeing
Where: The dye lab
Assignments Due:
Post images of your dye samples from week 4/5 to your Flickr account. Tag it with "185LJ24" and "non-native" . In the image description, write about the plant you used: the name, and whatever interesting information you found about the plant and it's usage.
Bring flowers, leaves, veggie scraps etc. for eco-printing/bundle dyeing. (We will bundle-dye silk scarves mordanted with alum.)
Check out the videos/links below:
And there are many more videos on the subject, just search around if you are interested.
Week 7 (May 17):
Final project and chart discussion
Mordanting wool and silk
Where: The dye lab
Handouts:
Mordanting Wool
Due:
Post a photo of your ecoprinted silk to your Flickr account. Tag it with "185LJ24", "ecoprint"
Be prepared to talk about your ideas for your final project and your dye sample charts/display. (see details in week 10 below)
If you already have wool or silk items you will be using for your final project, bring them, we can do some mordanting in class.
Reading:
Search the web for alum, it's use and history, lots of interesting info for example:
Alum History
The strange story of why human urine was transported to quarries in North East Yorkshire
Week 8 (May 24):
Indigo and Shibori
Mordanting cellulose fibers
Where: The dye lab
Indigo handouts and info:
Making our indigo vat and dyeing
Various shibori techniques
Stitched shibori
More stitched shibori
Mordanting Cellulose fibers (such as cotton and linen):
1.
Scour (click on instruction)
2.
Mordant (make sure to use the alum acetate)
Mordanting Cellulose pdf (using the method in the video above)
Assignments Due:
1. Home dyeing experiments:
- Make at lest two different dye baths with plants and/or food scraps (avocado pits, red cabbage, onion skins for makes interesting color.)
- Dye the sample fabric you got in class for this assignment.
- Make several colors from each dye bath by modifying the ph value using lemon/vinegar (acidic), baking powder (alkaline), Ferrous sulfate or rusty iron objects, and by altering time in the bath, the order in which you put the samples in etc.
- Post photos to your flickr account. Tag with "185LJ24" and "home". Use the photo descriptions and titles to describe what plants/modifiers/process you were using.
- Bring your samples to class.
2. Indigo research
Search the web for information about Indigo. Find information that is interesting to you, you can for example look for indigo traditions in areas where you (or your ancestors) are from.
Be prepared to say something in class that caught your attention regarding indigo (it's use, history, politics etc.).
Recommended viewing:
Blue Alchemy: Stories of Indigo
(Watch for free on
Kanopy.com if you have a SB or Goleta library card, unfortunately it does not work logging in via the UCSB library)
Week 10 (June 7):
Final project critique.
Where: The dye lab
Assignments Due:
Final Project:
Use what you learned in class to dye something that can be "used": clothing, bag, towel, sheet etc. Or dye enough yarn or fabric to make something yourself.
Document the process of making the item and the final result on flickr. Describe how you mordanted, and what plants and modifiers you used. Use the tags "185LJ24" and "final".
Bring what you made to class.
Some inspiration:
Naturally dyed silk clothing
Dye Chart:
Create an interesting way to catalogue/display/store the samples you make throughout the quarter.
Bring chart/notebook/display to class
Document your chart on Flickr. Use the tags "185LJ24" and "chart".