Local Color: Botanical Printing and Dying with Lisa Binkley

Dyeing with plant pigments and other natural materials (insects, lichen, etc.) has been practiced and refined for thousands of years—for as long as humans have made cloth and wished to beautify it. During this 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 dye color on cloth; and many ways to get patterns and images on fabric with a variety of mordants and plant materials. We begin by gathering our printing and dyeing plants from the area surrounding the workshop (and at home).