A Piece of the Sky

The sun was bright through the trees, white clouds a patchwork across a hopeful field of blue, and down on earth, a group of adults were buzzing with kid-like excitement. Seated like outer petals surrounding an inner bloom of color, ten women were getting introduced or reacquainted to each other, and then to three generous plants that secretly hold the capacity to offer up exquisite colors, both eco and miraculous. “Meet Indigo, Madder, and Marigold…”

We would be reminded that for 1000’s of years, people have been working with these unexpected beauties, rendering rich primary colors tucked quietly within their green leaves, and everyday blooms. A color party quietly waits to burst forth, if summoned by patient human hands that can transform mute fabrics, threads and yarns into boldly expressive canvases for a wild range of colors.

What are tannins, mordants, and modifiers, and what are great non-toxic options? What is “scouring” and how are different kinds of fabrics prepared (cotton and linen or “cellulose fibres” as opposed to “protein fibres” that are wool and silk) to best receive the dyes and create lasting color? What role does iron play in rendering different color variations? How can we coax and care for such plants in our own gardens at home? How long will the process take to prepare the dyes, as well as how long will they last? These questions were explored, along with the most essential one: How can we remember the importance of taking time for ourselves, for curiosity, creative play, and open hearted connection?

The group was told that “resist dyeing is a method used to apply a design on a fabric. It requires the covering of parts of the fabric in a way that will keep the dye from penetrating the open areas,” and how batik, tie-dye, Ikat and shibori are all versions of this, using different techniques. We quickly got busy putting our new awareness into action: rubber bands tied tightly around parts of cloth, fabric wrapped and scrunched around rope or poles. And then the most fun part of all: the discovery and magic that happens at the unveiling of each unique work of art!

As we worked, an excerpt was read aloud from another blog celebrating natural dye and the origin of Indigo entitled The Magic of Indigo: “A long, long time ago in the time of legends, when the world was new and God and humans shared the same space, there lived a woman who felt a great hunger for beauty and colour beyond any other that had ever been known. She wished for the colour of the sky, for thunder-blue hair and for linen that was not simple white cotton. In those ancient days, it was entirely possible to eat pieces of the sky, which filled the eater with incredible, wondrous joy. But it was a dangerous business – one could become completely lost to the world when filled with sky-joy.

“The woman could not help her longing and she devoured the sky until, as punishment, God pulled the sky far above the heads of the people, leaving behind only its colour. Now the sky, and God, was out of reach of mortals but the people and their children, and their children’s children, all still hungered for the sky and her colours and tried to satiate their hunger by creating their own sky on earth with materials dyed with the bluest of blue – indigo.

“That gorgeous story comes from an old Liberian folktale. What a beautiful image. Bringing the colour of the sky down to earth. I guess if you imagine the browns, reds and oranges in the landscape of much of West Africa, that owning something that was bright and the colour of the never-ending blue sky itself really was like owning a piece of magic. Even elsewhere in nature it is still rare to be able to access a blue like it, mysterious and intriguing. You can see exactly why indigo was treasured and woven into folklore.”

Indeed. This most handsome and regal of blues, along with all the rest in our generous Earth Mama’s radiant and fertile paintbox. The shrieks of joy that emerged from each and every creatrix at our Learn to Plant A Dye Garden & Intro to Natural Plant Dyeing workshop this past Saturday would attest to that…

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Note: If you are interested in joining us for an upcoming workshop check out our ever-changing calendar! We can also dream up and co-create a workshop for your event, party, wedding or corporate event! Contact us!

Words by Jenny Wonderling

Photos by Melissa Hewitt, Jenny Wonderling, Poliana Danila, and Mirabai Trent