Plant based dyes: upcycle

Join us to thrift and upcycle natural fabrics–100% cotton, linen, silk, and wool. Take those faded garden button downs that fit great and turn the color volume back up!

Wondering about what you’d like to dye? Once you sign up, we will provide tips in the weeks preceding the event. We’ll go over some of our recent upcycle projects with tips and tricks for selecting something worth transforming. We will have four seasonal colors to choose from 2 that compliment darker fabric and 2 that improve lighter fabrics. We’ll go over growing and even do some of the harvesting!

For maximum color absorption, this workshop may require you to pick up your article of clothing one week later on the following Saturday. This is dependent on your color choice.

This workshop is designed for each participant 6-8 oz of fabric to dye. This might be a button down shirt (M is around 6 -7 oz), a tee shirt (6 - 8 oz), or three pairs of socks (2 oz each). This is important because most dye recipes call for 1 part plant material to 1 part fabric. Natural fibers (100% cotton, linen, silk, and wool) are a must as synthetic fibers take up less color or none at all. 90 minutes.

General Information:

We recommend navigating to the Observatory Drive and Babcock Drive corner. Plan to head north on Babcock Drive. The entrance to the garden is on Babcock Drive. You are welcome to drop off in the circle but we are not allowed to park there. Google maps will sometimes confuse the garden’s address (620 Babcock Dr, Madison, WI 53706) and navigate to Leopold Residence Hall.

Street parking can be found for free after 4:30 pm near the Garden on Babcock Drive (lot 34), near Porter Boathouse on Babcock Drive (lot 35), and near Babcock Dairy (lot 40). There is paid parking in the Observatory Drive Ramp next to Steenbock Library (lot 36). Lot 36 costs $4 for the first two hours. More information about parking on campus can be found here: https://transportation.wisc.edu/visitor-parking/

Workshops are held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, we will move inside the DC Smith Greenhouses and do things there. Should this need arise before the start of our program, then participants will be notified via email two hours prior to the event. If the weather looks unfavorable please check your email before heading out. All the needed plant materials will be brought to DC Smith Greenhouses (465 Babcock Dr, Madison, WI 53706).

Host or Publisher Friends of Allen Centennial Garden