Sheridan Institute Textiles Department

After attending the Memento mori exhibition opening I looked in on the textiles department of the Sheridan Institute.
Burners for natural dyeing and protein fibres.

Washing machine and dryer

Various steamers 

Materials prep counter

Vented box for mixing dye stuff

Long padded print tables and racks of silk screens 

Light table

Long firm print tables.

What a place to be a student!

Adding My Staining to Tree Cloths

I am at the stage in my dialogue with the trees where it is my turn to respond. I need to make a mark reflecting the development of my relationship with these trees. I sampled dyeing with a Cedar branch  extraction but wasn't enamoured with the colour nor the overall even covering of the tree's marks. Next I sampled more textural dyed marks using Procion MX colours.

Successive randomly scrumpled immersions in various greens built up the colour complexity.

Results were OK but while I was spending hours in the kitchen (natural dyeing on stove top) and in my dye studio, I felt quite removed from the trees. I didn't know what the trees were doing. The dialogue had shifted to a monologue. I needed to find another way to respond to the trees.

Eco-printing Results & a Decision

More results from attempts to Eco-print using tree material from Douglas-fir ecosystem

Arbutus berries & leaves - minimal print

Just a trace of staining from arbutus leaves

Cedar boughs

Cedar boughs acted as a resist when the pot's water level covered part of the bundle
The water had accumulated a dye solution from previous steaming
Choosing to work with cotton and natural dyes is a challenge


I want to work with cotton so I have decided to not continue with natural dyeing for this body of work

Valerie Walker @ SDA Conference

During the few hours break between the conference and start of the next week of workshops, a group of us took advantage of an outing organised by Valerie Walker (on right) EspaceFibre.com, transmedia fibre artist, gallery owner, natural dyer, radio host, instructor etc etc - you know the multi-talented type.

She had organised a happening at her friend Cecile Lewis's place.

Valerie had hung her naturally-dyed cloths around Cecile's garden - behind these cloths is the gourd patch.

Valerie had started an indigo vat at the beginning of the conference but true to its nature, it was on its own timetable and not ready for dipping that day. 

So we spent the time exploring Cecile's dye garden, stroking her dyed cloths, examining the vat, and soaking up some much needed sunshine after being inside for the week.

India Flint @ SDA Conference

Another 'favourite' exhibition at the SDA conference is India Flint's 'the WindFallMaps' exhibit in the Katherine E. Nash Gallery www.nash.umn.edu

Each garment has been printed and dyed with plant materials and metals found in a specific place.

So each is like a map or visual record of a place and time.

Floating garments are hung with hems at viewers' eye level so we felt dwarfed by evidence of places the garments came from. It was all quite ethereal.

Anokhi Museum, Amber, Jaipur

The Anokhi company, among other activities, helped revive the local hand block printing industry by supporting artisans & their families. It produces block printed garments & products that they sell in their Indian & international retail outlets.

They renovated & restored this old mansion and established a museum to showcase the history of hand block printing and to regularly exhibit work by contemporary clothing designers.

Washing the textiles

Washing the block printed, natural dyed textiles.

Dying Block Printed Textiles

Dying with iron liquor.

Boiling the textile with natural dye materials in a copper pot.

These textiles have been block printed and dyed repeatedly to build up the design.

Natural Dying

Pomegranate husks

Indigo plant

Indigo pot