Dyeing Special Interest Group
Contact the co-ordinators at dyers@londonguildofweavers.org.uk.
The Dyeing Special Interest Group includes spinners, gardeners interested in growing dye plants and sharing seeds, others who are interested in learning more about record keeping, experimenters and chemists, and a allotmenters already growing a range of dye plants.
Meetings are held in March, June, September and December at 11:00 on the Saturday mornings preceding the afternoon Guild meetings.
The groups aims and objectives are:
- To try dyeing with both natural and synthetic dyes
- To develop a good record keeping method
- To explore light fastness – which dyes work and which are the ‘faders’
- To learn how to control dyeing for the results we want, e.g. even, nonblotchy dyeing
- To experiment with techniques – solar dyeing, mud dyeing, shibori, ikat, warp painting – to name but a few
- To collaborate on projects with other weavers or spinners
- To take Health and Safety seriously, e.g. the safety of dye stuffs and mordants, safe disposal, etc.
- To source, share and swap materials or seeds
- Get out on visits and have fun
So far we have conducted our own ‘Kool-Aid Test’ and our first home dyeing project – dyeing with madder.
