Fabric Dyeing by the Sea
At the end of Mabou Harbour Road you’ll reach my hillside studio overlooking the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the rolling dunes of West Mabou beach. Fishing boats head out to sea, watched over by our resident bald eagle pair from their lookout on the bluff. In this stimulating setting of ocean and sky, you’re invited to discover or nurture your creativity by learning how to dye fabric.
You can try an introductory workshop, where all that’s required is a spirit of adventure. You’ll take home a stack of colourful fabrics and your own hand painted silk scarf. If you already know something about dyeing or painting, you’ll enjoy the advanced workshops, where we’ll explore some surface design techniques in more depth. I can also give special workshops to fit your interests and schedule. In each session, no more than six students will work in my well-equipped dyeing studio, located on the ground floor facing the view and handy to the clothesline outdoors where we dry our creations in the sea breezes. The energy and excitement that is stirred up in these workshops has been a lot of fun for everyone involved.
I encourage students to follow their own paths as soon as they understand the basics, and I’m there to support them. My many books and magazines on dyeing and painting fabric are also useful to them. I’ve had terrific students! We’ve all learned from each other and had quite a few laughs along the way.
I’ve been dyeing cotton fabric for my fine art quilts for a dozen years, using fibre reactive dyes and experimenting with many techniques. More recently I learned how to dye silk scarves, and I love the way the lightweight silk takes the dyes.
Please read the testimonials from students, including Cynthia Baughman’s Diary of a Dyer for a Day which was first published in our local newspaper. My studio is located on the western side of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia; here are directions and a map. There are many wonderful things to do and see in Mabou and Cape Breton Island so it’s worth coming for a longer visit if you don’t live nearby, and Mabou has excellent inns, bed & breakfasts, and restaurants.
Ann answers a student’s question about some sample fabrics.