I chose to work with bundle dyeing techniques to realise the dye portion of this project. I'm interested in the capability of bundle yes to represent a single snapshot of the community or one particular area I go foraging in, or buy from. Because bundle dyes can extract a greater range of colour from plants, it allowed me to use a combination of research, instinct, and inspiration to gather my materials from these four locations.
My home shows what materials I could find in my immediate surroundings. As I worked primarily out of my home on my thesis towards the end of the project, I had to almost force myself to find inspiration in my home. I was also working with the limited resources available in my fridge.
Onion skins, Cinnamon, Cinnamon sticks, Dried chamomile, Dried purple asters
Pratt campus pratt’s campus itself is incredibly inspiring to me. It was the main draw of Pratt from back when I was touring, and I’ve enjoyed spending time on campus to this day. I especially appreciated foraging on campus in the Spring, when it began to come alive again.
Periwinkle flowers, Cherry blossoms, Dandelions, Marigolds, Various plant leaves
Fort Greene Park has always been a natural respite for me from Pratt’s campus and my workload. I have especially enjoyed taking walks there as I have had more free time after my thesis, and found those walks very inspiring for this project. The materials gathered were a combination of a forage walk and a shopping trip to the Saturday farmers' market.
Sunflowers, purple tulips, mint, rosemary, onion skins, eucalyptus, purple limoneum
The fashion design studio primarily inspired me to use leftover materials from four years of a fashion program, including leftovers from my thesis. This snapshot presents how I have learned to use natural dyes in a controlled educational environment.
Mallow flowers, Alkanet Roots, Turmeric, Coffee grounds, Cutch Crystals
To conclude my project and tie in the idea of a local colour ‘map’ from collecting dyestuff from varying elements of my environment, I chose to embroider four maps of the various locations I collected dyestuff from. These maps ranged from overhead maps to floor plans. I embroidered with a neutral thread just a shade lighter than the background of the mordanted fabric in order to allow the natural colours of the bundle dyes to still take centre stage, while reiterating the meaning of the project through embroidery.
Embroidery guides: