Class Title: The Magical Alchemy of Botanical Print on Silk
Instructor: Shanna Rose
Tuition: $250/Members $270/Non-Members
Class Dates: OCTOBER 10-11-12 Times: 9:30AM -4:30 PM WITH AN HOURS OFF FOR LUNCH
Place: Pacific Textile Arts classroom
Number of Students: Minimum: 5 Max: 12
Materials fee: $40 FOR MORDANTS AND DYES
Class Description: 3-day intensive into the complex alchemy of leaf, silk, mordant, and plant dye. Learn Nature’s Art in a beautiful studio on the Mendocino Coast with a master of this new and exciting Fiber Art, and return home with unique pieces of wearable art.
In this workshop, here is a partial list of what you will learn: Which fabrics to use, and the different techniques that work with both cellulose and protein fibers
How to prepare fabrics for dyeing, why and how to scour fabrics first
How to use mordants to fix color to the fabric
How to use assists to alter the color of the dyes
How to obtain clear, crisp leaf prints on vibrantly colored backgrounds
The equipment needed to start eco-printing inexpensively at home
Where to access supplies
Information about plant dyes using foraged and garden grown materials, as well as the use of purchased barks, powders, and extracts
What leaves to use, how to look for the best printing leaves, how to make test pieces
If you are experienced or a beginner, you will be given projects equal to your skill level, and and appropriate instruction will be provided.
List of items students need to bring: *2 white or light-colored (small pattern ok) 100% Cotton sheets, full, queen or king size, flat or fitted. I source these at our local Goodwill. If you can find a white or light colored/printed flannel sheet you may bring that as one of your 2 sheets. I will have extra sheets. Please wash the sheets in a mild, unscented detergent before bringing with you. These will be cut up and used as carrier cloths to transfer dye to the silk.
*1 ball of cotton or hemp string
*1 pair of paper cutting scissors, 1 pair of scissors to cut cloth (can use paper scissors if new), 1 small sharp pair of scissors for trimming leaves. Pruning or bonsai scissors are nice for this.
~The Instructor will also have a variety of scissors, shears, and pruners to share
Silk Scarves and Raw Silk- Order from DharmaTrading https://www.dharmatrading.com/ * 3- 11″ x 60″ silk scarves
* 3- 14′ x 72″ silk scarves
You may order Silk Charmeuse or 16 mm Crepe de Chine scarves, or some of each
* 2-3 yards of Silk Noil (raw silk)
optional*- specialty silks like Tussah or Eri Silk from Aurora Silks https://aurorasilk.com/wp/
~You may not complete all of these pieces in 3 days, but it’s helpful to have extra to choose from.
* 1 T shirt- cotton, rayon, tencel, lyocell, bamboo, or linen knit will all take the dyes well. It can have a small percentage of spandex or nylon.
Contact the instructor if you have any questions about materials to bring
BIO: Shanna Rose is a self-taught artist who has always created beauty with plants and flowers, but when she found Botanical Print as the place to channel her creative process she felt she had come home. It combines her skills as an avid gardener, an artist and a nature lover. She grows the flowers and many of the botanicals used in her work, and has learned much about Botany through the eyes of an Eco-Printer. Collecting leaves while walking through forests, neighborhoods, and parks keeps her connected to the source of her inspiration- the beauty of the natural world.
Questions: Email classes@pacifictextilearts.org
