Using only organic plant matter you will gain knowledge and experiment with the time honored art of natural dyeing with The Dogwood Dyer. We will be exploring a multitude of ways to work with the king of natural dye stuffs: Indigo. We’ll be sharing in the incredibly unique experience of dyeing with rich organic indigo that was grown in the United States to make a vat as well as working with locally grown indigo in a fresh leaf process. Together with participants we will create an organic indigo vat from scratch where the chemistry and science will be thoroughly explained. Unlike most modern indigo dye vats that are prepared quickly with a synthetic reducing agent, this workshop will use only natural ingredients to activate the dyeing power of the indigo vat. Learn the science behind the nature of indigo while experiencing the alchemistic wonder of its transformation from indigo “white” to yellow then green to blue! What’s more, there will also be dyeing with Liz’s locally fresh grown indigo to process and achieve aqua and cyan blue shades alongside the true blue shades of indigo. This dye is perfectly suited for experimenting with shibori- traditional tie, bind, and stitch techniques. Liz will demonstrate her favorites including itajime and arashi and encourage students to try their hand at surface and pattern design including painting with indigo! Participants will each receive a variety of natural fabrics to test and dye with are also encouraged to bring their own medium to small sized natural fiber (cotton, wool, silk, linen, etc.) garment or item to dye in the reduced vat (ensure your personal item to dye has been washed well beforehand). Please enroll by 11/6 to ensure your spot in the workshop!