A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Don’t believe the hype! Natural dyes can provide brilliant and fast color to rival their modern-day competitors, and under much safer conditions for both the dyer and the earth. I’ll teach you how to use natural dyes to achieve a range of colors from your home dye pot. I’ll cover a bit of history and explain how natural dyes differ from their synthetic counterparts. We’ll talk about common mistakes beginning dyers encounter, and learn how to control your results. We’ll use different mordants for light and color-fastness, and explore different natural fibers to obtain maximum color variations from a single dye plant. Finally, we’ll experiment with overdyeing and variegated dyeing to give you plenty of avenues for later exploration at home.
Learn to make a variety of personal natural indigo vats without worrying about toxicity or cost of heavy chemicals! These vats use a natural chemical reduction process to produce a quick, reliable, long-lasting indigo blue. I’ll provide a brief overview of indigo’s historical highlights and chemical quirks, and guide you through making a natural reduction vat. We’ll explore simple resist techniques to produce pattern on fabric and thread. Finally, we’ll cover care and maintenance of the vats and give you the option to take one home.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Achieve incredibly vibrant, realistic leaf prints using contact printing, a natural dye method of transferring the pigments found in plant material directly to cloth or paper (also known as eco-printing or botanical printing). In this workshop we will explore the basics of contact printing, including some rudimentary plant physiology and how to manipulate prints with mordants and dye blankets. We will also experiment with some simple shibori techniques and easy methods of embellishing the finished prints.
Announcing the first ever Oakshadow Fiber Fest, presenting five days of natural dye projects! Whether you attend for just one day or join us for the full week, you’re guaranteed to have a good time! Topics include natural dyes, indigo and shibori, contact prints, pigment prints, and making a pieced and stitched sampler.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Expand on the basics of shibori and indigo dyeing with advanced techniques and more indigo recipes! We’ll practice more complex stitch-resist techniques including boshi, double arashi, compound itajime, and combination patterns, and explore a variety of indigo reduction methods including henna and iron-based vats.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
In this workshop we’ll go from blank canvas to finished garment, exploring various techniques for surface design along the way! We’ll start by dyeing cotton fabric using natural plant dyes, then cut stencils or stamps to print unique designs with plant and earth pigments. Finally, we’ll use our custom cloth to sew versatile and stylish jackets based on a Japanese happi, perfect for light cover indoors or as a jacket in warmer weather.
Discover the beautiful relationship between indigo dye and rust prints. We’ll learn an easy method for activating the rust (oxidizing) action on cloth and a variety of methods of adding indigo patterning for a more complex design. This method is suitable for all cellulose and silk fabrics. A variety of metal shapes will be available to borrow and we’ll include a field trip to a nearby scrapyard as an option for personal pieces.
This workshop will begin by using the contact method of using natural plant material to pattern paper appropriate for book binding. Students will use contact-printed papers dyed with real leaves along with a “Secret Belgian” binding technique to construct a book with customized decorative stitching along the spine. Students will print a variety of papers to include in their sample book, and are welcome to bring their own precious papers to use for accents. No previous bookbinding experience is required.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
This is a fabulous show/sale collaboration between Portland-area craft guilds including woodworkers, jewelers, glass artists, beadworkers, handweavers, and ceramicists, all in the same place at the same time!
The Gathering of the Guilds features hundreds of artists, live demonstrations and hands-on activities, and door prize drawings. Best of all, it’s free to attend!
Judilee will be participating as a part of Sylvan Dyers Circle with the Portland Handweavers Guild.
Now famed worldwide for its striking traditional indigo and white color scheme and complex decorative patterns, sashiko’s utilitarian use as a mending technique is sometimes forgotten. In this workshop, students will learn to mend well-loved items using beautiful and strong sashiko stitching.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
This is a chance to do some personal mending with advice and assistance. Spend a relaxing day with needle and thread, a cup of coffee or tea, and like-minded individuals while making some needed repairs to your favorite jeans, flannel shirt, or other textile. A variety of mending techniques will be offered along with limited yarns for mending knits and fabrics for woven applique patching.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Perfect for light cover indoors or as a jacket in warmer weather, a happi is a versatile and stylish addition to your wardrobe. In Japan, happi are loose-fitting casual cotton jackets often worn at festivals or to identify members of a group. They are also popular among Portland Japanese Garden staff and volunteers! In this final workshop of the series, students will learn to sew a fashionable modern version of a happi, with a variety of fabrics and basic sleeve options to further personalize your jacket.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Capture a vignette of one of your favorite memories by “painting” with layers of fabric and a variety of hand embroidery stitches. Working from a favorite photo or printed postcard, we'll "paint" with layers of fabric and add detail with a variety of hand embroidery stitches to render personal imagery in this meditative workshop.
Over the years, garden staffers have seen (or heard) more than 50 types of visiting birds, including dark-eyed juncos, hawks, owls, sparrows, chickadees, mallards, spotted towhees, bald eagles, finches, and more. In this workshop, students will take inspiration from our feathered friends to cut snippets of fabric and stitch them into a painterly collage of their bird of choice. Students will leave with a textile piece which can be used to make a patch for clothing or bags, a pillow top, table mat, laptop case, or more.
Now famed worldwide for its striking traditional indigo-and-white color scheme and complex decorative patterns, sashiko’s utilitarian use as a mending technique is sometimes forgotten. In this workshop students will learn to mend well-loved items using beautiful and strong sashiko stitching. While fabrics will be provided, students can also bring their own textiles to mend such as jeans, flannel shirts, or hand towels.
Time to repair those wool sweaters and shirts! This one-day class will focus on reweaving, reknitting, and creative stitching to renew your favorite winter attire. Both visible and invisible mends are possible!
An offshoot of more formal and precise sashiko, chikuchiku is a loose and playful form of stitching named for the sound of a needle going through fabric. Students will rough-piece precious scraps of fabric onto a base using expressive running stitches in this first workshop of the 2024 textile series. With this fun project, students may create a stylish layered piece like a patch, table mat, hot pad, tablet case, or needle case.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Slow stitching, the meditative art of hand sewing, is a chance to relax and enjoy the rhythmic dance of needle and thread as we construct a charming needle keeper using new and vintage fabrics, basic stitching, and simple shapes. We’ll enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a treat or two, and the company of like-minded souls.
This project is a creative way to use bits and pieces of precious fabrics. I’ll have a variety of needle keeper designs to choose from, some vintage fabrics and adornments, and all the necessary materials to finish a needle/pin holder that is unique to you. These make wonderful little holiday gifts or stocking stuffers!
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Slow stitching, the meditative art of hand sewing, is a chance to relax and enjoy the rhythmic dance of needle and thread as we construct a Japanese-inspired mat or bag using new and vintage fabrics, basic sashiko stitching, and simple shapes. We’ll enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a treat or two, and the company of like-minded souls.
“Boro” describes profusely stitched and mended Japanese textiles that receive an extended life with an abundance of functional but beautiful handwork. In this class, attendees will piece, patch, appliqué, and stitch a small cloth suitable for a table mat or personal tool bag.
Join Judilee and the Sylvan Dyers Circle at the annual “Handwovens for the Holidays” Portland Handweavers Guild Fall Show & Sale! Featuring handcrafted work by regional artists - including wearables, accessories, home goods, rugs, baskets, handspun and hand-dyed yarns.
Create a well-fitting garment using your favorite pattern or by draping a basic tunic. We’ll make a muslin, adjust the fit, and sew a finished garment that will receive compliments from all your friends! This is a perfect use for the fabric you printed in October, a vintage tablecloth, or another precious piece you’ve been saving for something special!
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
This is a chance to do some personal mending with advice and assistance. Spend a relaxing day with needle and thread, a cup of coffee or tea, and like-minded individuals while making some needed repairs to your favorite jeans, flannel shirt, or other textile. A variety of mending techniques will be offered along with limited yarns for mending knits and fabrics for woven applique patching.
Dye yardage for a personal project! Choose your fabric and dye, your design (stencil, screenprint, direct application) and print option (pigment, mordant, or indigo) and create a fabric unique to you! Limit 2 1/2 yds of natural fiber fabric (that will be cut in pieces).
This yardage may also be used for the Basic Tunic or Shirt workshop.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Don’t believe the hype! Natural dyes can provide brilliant and fast color to rival their modern-day competitors, and under much safer conditions for both the dyer and the earth. I’ll teach you how to use natural dyes to achieve a range of colors from your home dye pot. I’ll cover a bit of history and explain how natural dyes differ from their synthetic counterparts. We’ll talk about common mistakes beginning dyers encounter, and learn how to control your results. We’ll use different mordants for light and color-fastness, and explore different natural fibers to obtain maximum color variations from a single dye plant. Finally, we’ll experiment with overdyeing and variegated dyeing to give you plenty of avenues for later exploration at home.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
This workshop is for experienced indigo dyers who want to add to their design opportunities. Indigo will be selectively removed from dyed cloth using traditional shibori pattern techniques and a chemical discharge agent. This process is suitable for cellulose fibers (cotton, linen, hemp, ramie). We’ll have an indigo vat available for projects. Class size is limited; not suitable for beginners.
Already familiar with the indigo process? Just want an opportunity to dye your prepared fabrics? Join me in the studio for an open indigo dye session. I’ll have a variety of vats prepared and available for you to sample. Coffee/tea and light snacks provided.
Discover the beautiful relationship between indigo dye and rust prints. We’ll learn an easy method for activating the rust (oxidizing) action on cloth and a variety of methods of adding indigo patterning for a more complex design. This method is suitable for all cellulose and silk fabrics. A variety of metal shapes will be available to borrow and we’ll include a field trip to a nearby scrapyard as an option for personal pieces.
A group-directed itinerary of explorations into the expansive world of natural dyes. Adventurous beginners welcome!
Learn to make a variety of personal natural indigo vats without worrying about toxicity or cost of heavy chemicals! These vats use a natural chemical reduction process to produce a quick, reliable, long-lasting indigo blue. I’ll provide a brief overview of indigo’s historical highlights and chemical quirks, and guide you through making a natural reduction vat. We’ll explore simple resist techniques to produce pattern on fabric and thread. Finally, we’ll cover care and maintenance of the vats and give you the option to take one home.
This workshop will begin by using the contact method of using natural plant material to pattern paper appropriate for book binding. Students will use contact-printed papers dyed with real leaves along with a “Secret Belgian” binding technique to construct a book with customized decorative stitching along the spine. Students will print a variety of papers to include in their sample book, and are welcome to bring their own precious papers to use for accents. No previous bookbinding experience is required.
