One-day introductory workshops
Spend a wonderful day exploring colour and pattern in my studio overlooking beautiful West Mabou beach. You don’t need to be “artistic” or experienced in any way, just willing to play, experiment and try something new.
There’s something magical about pouring dye onto white fabrics and seeing them transformed into rainbow hues. Using safe chemical dyes, you’ll learn to mix your own colours, perhaps inspired by the blue of the ocean or the soft greens of the meadow grasses. You’ll create a variety of patterns by scrunching, folding, or clamping the fabrics.
As we work together in my comfortable studio, it’s fun to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. In the past, those taking the workshop have come from many parts of Nova Scotia as well as Alberta,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia, so it’s sure to be an interesting group. We’ll hang the fabrics outdoors to dry in the sea breeze, stopping to admire them and feel the breeze ourselves. Later in the afternoon, you’ll be ready to dye a silk scarf in the colours and pattern of your choice.
You’ll leave with a stack of your own one-of-a-kind fabrics, your silk scarf, and an informative handout so that you can do more dyeing on your own. Better yet, come back
for one or more advanced workshops and start dyeing more scarves, tablecloths, silk neckties, velvet shawls, enough fabric to make a quilt, and more!
This workshop is for any interested person age 12 and up. No experience is necessary, but people who have done some dyeing are also welcome. The class size is limited to 6.
Schedule: All workshops are from 10 am to 5 pm. Tuesdays in July and August: July 5, 12, 19, or 26; August 2, 9, 23, or 30. Saturdays in September: September 10 or 17.
Fee: $90 ($60 tuition plus a $30 supply fee). All supplies are included. Please bring your lunch (or I can provide lunch for an extra fee with advance notice) and wear old clothes and comfortable shoes. If you like, bring along an old white T-shirt, pillowcase, tea towel, etc. to use as a "mop-up cloth" while creating a fun multicoloured piece.
To register: Fill out the registration form or call me at 902-945-2744.
Two-day introductory workshops
Two days are better than one! The first day of this workshop is the same as the one-day workshop described above.
Then, on the second day, you’ll enjoy another day of creating more colourful fabric and/or silk scarves. You’ll decide which techniques to explore in more depth and can work at your own pace. For your projects on the second day, you may bring your own fabric, clothing, T-shirts, or linens to dye—any cellulose fibre such as cotton, linen, rayon, hemp, or silk will work with these dyes, but not wool or synthetics. Or, you can purchase a variety of fabrics and silk or velvet scarves from me.
This workshop is for any interested person age 12 and up. No experience is necessary, but people who have done some dyeing are also welcome. The class size is limited to 6.
Schedule: July 21-22 (Thursday/Friday), August 26-27 (Friday/Saturday), OR September 23-24 (Friday/Saturday).
Fee: $160 ($120 tuition plus a $40 supply fee). All supplies are included except for fabric for the second day, which you can bring or purchase from me. Please bring your lunch (or I can provide lunch for an extra fee with advance notice) and wear old clothes and comfortable shoes.
To register: Fill out the registration form or call me at 902-945-2744.
