Fibershed Community Natural Dye Archive
More and more people are realizing how the current system of producing clothing, home goods, and other textiles is damaging communities around the world and the environment. Synthetic dyes in particular are polluting our waterways and are used ubiquitously in our textile system. But many people and cultures have used and continue to create dyes from the natural world that is not only safe for people and the environment, but also beautifully rich in variation and color.
We are using our imaginations, creativity and skills to envision and enact new ways of producing our essential materials, while using natural colors that not only comes from the soil but can be returned without damaging our waterways. The pleasure of surrounding ourselves with and wearing, what we like to call, “living color”, adds to our quality of life. “Living color” comes from living entities (plants, mushrooms, and insects), and evolves through time. Color can be an important expression of community values. We see a future that celebrates our quest for beauty in a way that contributes to the care of all the places and beings on our planet.
The Project
To accelerate individual and organizational awareness, the adoption of natural dyes as a replacement for chemical dyes, and as a way to care for the whole, we are creating a living, community-generated natural dye archive that captures the natural colors and dye processes of dyers, artisans, and artists throughout our fibershed region, to be used as inspiration, as a reference guide, and as a living archive. Our Community Natural Dye Archive is created for and by the community where the user is also the contributor, the learner also the teacher.
We are beginning the early stages of this project during the Summer of 2022. Information on how to contribute to the first stage of this project is below. A hardcopy of the archive will reside at the Fibershed Learning Center and a digital version will be accessible through the Fibershed website.
Contributing to the Archive
Calling all natural dyers to open your dye notebooks to the community and beyond! We are beginning to document the dye processes, recipes, observations & tips to record them with dyed samples in an archive that all community members can access. Using Fibershed certified fiber and locally grown or foraged plant material, we can collectively document the natural living color of our fibershed!
Together we can create a reliable natural dye resource for beginning and experienced dyers to enhance our skills and creativity. So, next time you start a new vat or prepare to eco-print, consider adding some extra fiber samples to the process and send it over to contribute to the archive!
Steps for Submission:
- Choose Fibershed-certified fiber: 1 yard of yarn (or 1/2 yard bulky) or 4” square of cloth
- Choose a locally grown or foraged plant material (cultivated, natives, food waste, & invasives are all good!!)
- Dye or eco-print using your chosen fiber and plant material. So we can correctly match your sample to your form, attach a label to each sample with: the date, your name, the name of the dye plant and a way to contact you in case we have questions (be assured your contact info will not be listed in the archive).
- Fill out this Google Form to submit all of the necessary information to capture your process: https://forms.gle/UYcedDxxGnDc8YsG7 OR print and fill out this form and send it with your sample(s).
Note: Each archival page will represent one dye bath (or one eco-print) project, and can include any variations amongst your samples depending on modifiers, time in bath, etc. You can submit up to three samples per submission (ie. 3 samples of coreopsis with three different modifiers) to showcase variation. Be sure to clearly mark each sample with the process that created each color. See Sample Form in the section below.
- Send your dye samples with your name, date, and any other information to help differentiate (plus the filled out form if you chose to print it out) to: Helen Krayenhoff, 3629 Dimond Ave, Oakland CA 94602
Thank you for contributing to our Fibershed Community Natural Dye Archive!
Sample Archive Page
We understand that the process of creating this natural dye archive will grow and evolve, just the way living color does. Here is a sample of an archive page using a Coreopsis dye bath and three different modifiers on rambouillet wool yarn. Although the exact page layout and design might change, this gives a general idea of what we hope to capture.
Digital Archive
We are beginning with a physical archive book, but plan to digitize all contributions and create an accessible online archive! More info to come…
