Botanical Printing, Dyeing & Stitching
5-Day Workshop with Lisa Binkley
lsbinkley@gmail.com • www.lisabinkley.com
Workshop Description:
Dyeing with plant pigments has been practiced for as long as humans have made cloth and wished to beautify it. Printing with plants has been practiced for generations through such traditions as Easter egg adornment and in the past few decades as a way to adorn fabrics.
During this five-day workshop, students learn about the history of dyeing and printing with plants; how to prepare fabric for dyeing and printing; ways to secure and alter botanical dye color on cloth; and many ways to get patterns and images on fabric with plants.
During the first three days, we will use a variety of local plant materials as well as other botanical dyes to create color and patterns on our fabrics. We will focus on printing plant material onto fabrics; dyeing solid and mottled colors with botanical pigments; printing and dyeing together; and using some shibori techniques in conjunction with botanical printing and dyeing.
During the fourth and fifth days, students will learn and practice hand piecing, contemporary applique, and hand-stitching/quilting techniques well suited to these fabrics and then use their recently dyed fabrics to begin an art quilt, art fabric panel, or garment.
Supply List:
• Up to 3 yards of undyed fabrics to be dyed and/or printed. The fabrics can be silk, cotton, linen, hemp, rayon, and/or a blend of natural fibers (but no synthetics and no wool).
All fabrics should be light, medium, and not heavy (think PFD cotton, linen, silk noil, etc.). Fabrics will NEED to be cleaned/scoured ahead of the workshop. Instructions are on the last page of this packet.
• 1-2 times the number of yards of fabric to be used for “blankets” (e.g., 3-6 yds.)—this can be muslin, cotton flannel, French terrycloth, etc. Make sure to have a balance of blanket fabric weight that is equal to or heavier than the weight of the fabric to be printed. (I use cotton flannel as a blanket for lighter-weight fabrics and French terrycloth as a blanket for medium to heavier-weight fabrics.)
• OPTIONAL undyed hand-quilting/sewing threads such as #8 and #12 pearl cotton, embroidery floss, sturdy silk thread, sashiko thread, etc. This should be scoured like the fabrics to prep for dyeing.
• Fabric scissors
• A measuring tape or long ruler (approx. 24")
• Fitted vinyl or rubber gloves (an extra pair or two would be helpful)
• Clothes that can get messy, as well as close-toed shoes (for the first 3 days)
• A spool/ball of undyed, strong string, twine, or sturdy, non-stretch yarn such as crewel
embroidery yarn (white or off-white) for tying dye bundles.
• 6-12 Ace-type bandages as an alternative way of tying up your bundles.
• OPTIONAL: A variety of local leaves, seeds, and some flowers that you love. (We will have time to collect plant material locally once we’re at the workshop and there is a florist 2 doors down from the studio.)
• Sewing supplies for Days 4-5:
• You can piece your fabrics by machine or hand; it’s up to you. Bring your sewing machine or check with the studio about rental options if you would like to piece by machine (the Studio has 2 machines). Bring neutral-colored machine sewing threads if you will be piecing by machine.
• We will be doing hand sewing/embellishing in addition to whatever piecing we do. Bring hand-sewing supplies including needles and coordinated threads (sewing thread, cotton and/or silk embroidery floss, sizes 8 and 12 pearl cotton, etc.). Hand-sewing needles such as size 7 embroidery needles and size 24 chenille needles are ideal for hand stitching with pearl cotton thread. Bring a range of embroidery thread weights, values, and colors that you think you’ll want to use with botanically dyed fabrics.
• Sewing/straight pins for pinning fabrics together
• Thin quilt batting (cotton, wool, or a natural blend) and backing fabric if you would like
to make your dyed and printed fabrics into a quilt
• A fabric marking tool such as a chalk pencil or chalk wheel
• A garment pattern and notions if you would like to make your printed and dyed fabrics
into a garment
• Whatever other hand sewing supplies and tools you like to use (a rotary cutter and mat,
thimbles, thread wax, embroidery hoop, safety pins for basting layers together, etc.)
Instructions for Preparing Fabric for Eco-Printing & Dyeing
It is very important to have clean fabrics on which to print and dye. Even fabrics that
look clean can have residues on/in them that will block the absorption of pigment, so I
recommend using the following techniques to prepare natural fabrics for dyeing and
eco-printing. (These are pretty much the instructions found in Jenny Dean’s book “Wild
Color,” which is one of my favorite reference books for botanical dyeing.)
For Plant Fibers (cotton, linen, hemp, rayon, Tencel)
Fill a large pot with water + (1-2 t. washing soda + 1-2 t. of cleaning solution like Dawn
dish-washing liquid) / gallon of water.
Stir the water, washing soda, and cleansing liquid to mix and then add your plant—
based fabric. Heat the water to a simmer, and then simmer the fabric for at least 2 hrs.
Drain off the liquid and gently rinse the fabrics. Air or machine dry them.
If you do not have a pot large enough to undertake this process, I have scoured plant-
based fabrics in my washing machine with success. I use the "sanitary" or hottest cycle
setting and add the washing soda and Dawn/cleansing liquid directly to the machine.
That cycle on my machine runs about 1.5-2 hrs.
For Protein Fibers (silk, wool)
These need to be cleaned much more gently than plant fibers.
Wash protein fibers in warm water and ph-neutral cleansing liquid or Dawn dish-
washing liquid. This can be done on the stove-top or in the washing machine on a
gentle cycle. If done on the stovetop, put the fabric in cool/room-temperature water and
bring the water and fabrics to a warm temperature together. Keep the water and fabric
warm and stir gently for about an hour. Rinse gently several times.
Air dry.
Student supply fee is $40 for dyes, mordants, and instructions.
this will be paid directly to Lisa at the beginning of class