Harrowsmith Fall 2019 | 43ABOUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFFA
s more and more folks
return to the basic
tasks our grandparents
regularly enjoyed, such
as food preservation or spinning
wool, we find that the journey to
self-sufficiency is an exciting,
seemingly never-ending adventure!
We might begin by learning
how to knit a scarf using acrylic
fibres bought at a big-box store,
and before we know it, we are
shearing wool from our own
sheep. Our convictions about
sustainability, supporting local
industries and protecting the
environment have also opened
doors for exploring alternative
ways of doing things, like
sourcing and using natural
dyes for fabric, for instance.
The history of fabric dyes is
as rich as indigo blue pigment
from the indigo plant, and up
until the mid-1800s relied solely
on harvesting from plants or
animals. After the introduction of
more durable synthetic dyes, the
art, and nuance, of natural dyeing
was mostly lost. But making your
own dye from commonly found
botanicals is easy, fun and a great
activity to do with kids this fall.
Jes Gale of Sweet Gale Gardens
and Jessica Payne of A Fine
Medley are two such pioneers
who dove into the vibrant world of
natural dyes and haven’t looked
back. They grow and design their
own floral arrangements in the
Hamilton area and use raw silk
they’ve hand-dyed to tie their
seasonal bouquets.
They loved how natural dyeing
was accessible, local, seasonal
and approachable, not to mention
beautiful. Through research and
their own personal experimentation,
they’ve developed a colourful line
of naturally dyed silks using
only the botanicals they grow or
forage themselves.
But Jessica warns that before
you begin, you’ll want to consider
the time required. Dyeing is like
baking: you can do it at any time,
but it’s important to set aside
enough time to do it properly.
This method of dyeing is only
suitable for natural fibres such
as 100 percent cotton, wool,
silk, linen, muslin or hemp, so
make sure you’ve sourced
the appropriate fabric or you’ll
be disappointed with the
inconsistent results. Wool and
silk are the most satisfying
to experiment with, whereas
cotton can be tricky and usually
requires pre-treatments to get
the full effect of the dye.
Keep in mind that this is a
very basic introduction to