I’ve been on a bit of a workshop binge this Fall. Back in October I took “Leather Working 101” at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn. It was a great opportunity flush out my basic knowledge of leather tools and techniques. I’ve picked up bits and pieces from the leatherwork we’ve been doing at Social Body Lab, but this helped to give me a more solid foundation.
Left: a leather sewing test, Right: a leather card holder
A few weeks ago weeks ago I attended a Saturday afternoon workshop on “Natural Dyeing & Foraging” at Manufacture New York. Part of the reason I wanted to go is to get a sneak peak at the Manufacture NY space, but I’ve also been thinking some about dyeing my own materials. Our instructor was Liz Spencer who focuses on ethical dyeing practices. The workshop focused on dyeing with plants found within the nearby region: black walnut, Hopi purple sunflower seeds, coreopsis, and pokeberries.
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- black walnut
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- Hopi sunflower seeds
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- coreopsis
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- pouring coreopsis into dye bath
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- pokeberry dye
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- pokeberry results
The final results! Left to right: coreopsis, pokeberry, Hopi sunflower seeds, black walnut. Top to bottom: linen, silk, wool yarns
Besides straight up dyeing we also got to try bundle, resist, and shibori dyeing techniques. Good food for thought for future projects.
