2025 and later

I was so excited to witness all the plant life in Costa Rica last summer that I brought a scoured and mordanted piece of cotton and some string so that I might bundle dye a bandana from the fallen flowers I come across. Let me be clear I had no intention and did not remove any plant matter from any forests, I only collected flowers along roadsides and neighborhoods that had fallen, along with 1 achiote pod from the farm I stayed on, with permission.  So, during our first week, I gathered bright crimson hibiscus, bougainvillea, and other bold and...

One of the goals I gave myself this year is to learn and develop the skills of more printing techniques. One of these techniques is a resist printing using a clay paste. I made the clay paste that can be thickened or thinned for painting or printing, and tested it by painted on a madder root dyed napkin. Once the clay dries, I dipped it into an indigo vat. After a couple minutes, I pulled out the napkin, and rinsed it. The clay prevents the indigo from grabbing into the painted areas, dyeing all other areas blue.  I have a...

This is the second summer I have grown the variety persicaria tinctoria. I have a small plot, about 5′x3′ in my right of way by the street. The plants are now blooming beautiful hot pink flowers and collecting these leaves mid to late September will be my third harvest of leaves. With what I’ve grown I have been able to dye 3 shirts, a lb. or so of yarn, and attempt a pigment extraction process. The first time didn’t work, so I’ll harvest the last leaves after they are done going to seed and attempt the process again. Deep blues...