Creating Fabric Dyes with Plants

Plants, bugs, and minerals contain more than meets the eye. In fact, they hold a rainbow of colors that humans have been dyeing vibrant fabrics with for millennia. In this workshop, walk in the steps of your ancestors and learn how to create yellow and orange dyes with a simple household staple – onion skins – and how to apply that knowledge to more plants and bugs found in the Houston region or in the garden. This workshop will cover preparing fabric for natural dyes, extracting natural color from plants and bugs, and binding fabric for intriguing patterns with basic Shibori (tie dye) techniques. Participants will dye two cotton handkerchiefs.
About the Instructor: Molly Koehn (mah-lee kayn) is a Houston-based artist, weaver, and teacher. She engages in a deep process of learning local ecology through observation, recording, and sampling, using local plants for textiles and baskets. This work is fueled by material kinship and a vision to preserve and expand urban green spaces through community making.
Learn more and register https://apps.txrxlabs.org/classes/498/creating-fabric-dyes-with-plants/