Laura Aldridge

An Enthusiasts Introduction to Eco-dyeing
Cove Park Materclass
2 day workshop, Cove Park, Scotland
2017

An Enthusiasts Introduction to Eco-dyeing is a two-day masterclass for people in Argyll and Bute interested in and enthusiastic about experimenting with the process of printing onto fabric using the natural materials around them.

Eco-dyeing uses heat to draw out natural pigments from leaves and other plant materials to create interesting and surprising marks on fabric. Plants are arranged on prepared textiles then wound over metal rods and bundled tightly with string. The plant dyes are then extracted through steaming or immersing the fabric in hot water. Results achieved can vary greatly from clearly defined plant forms to more diffused bursts of colour.

Eco-dyeing is unpredictable and does not focus on the strict replication of results, therefore an open minded and experimental attitude is required of the dyer; the same dyestuff will yield different results depending on the time of year the leaves are picked, where the plant is growing, how much rain has fallen while it was growing, etc. You can play with and create your own personal alchemy by recording these variables and the results you achieve when processing the fabric.

In this two-day masterclass, artist Laura Aldridge, the enthusiast, will share what she has learnt so far about eco-dyeing in her work and encourage participants’ independent experimentation with the process. You will source plants from your local area and the Cove Park site to make a series of tests, recording some of the controlled and uncontrolled variables which directly affect the outcome of the prints. Through experimentation you will build up to dyeing larger pieces of fabric for use in your future art or textile projects.

The masterclass is suited to people with little to no experience of eco-dyeing – enthusiasm is a must! Experts who wish to work with plants local to the Cove Park area and alongside enthusiastic amateurs are also welcome.