2019 Workshops Offered
Date: Saturday, June 29th
Time: 10-3
In this workshop we will be dyeing silk scarves with a technique called “eco-print”, where leaves, roots and flowers are printed directly onto fabric to get their natural shape and color. Using locally growing plants including St. Johns Wort, Yellow Dock and Eucalyptus, we will discuss some of the traditional uses of these herbs in medicine and their historical and ecological significance in Santa Cruz. There will be conversation about land-tending practices and how to help support native plant habitat restoration, as well as ideas for making sustainable textile art and herbal home remedies with these particularly rambunctious species. Each participant get to design and craft their own silk bundle that will be steamed with hot water and natural mordant to “set” the color. Join us for a fun-filled day of crafting, folklore, and herbology!
A portion of proceeds will go to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Cost: Sliding scale $32-$45/person (includes materials)
Ages 13+
Email apocalypticherbs@gmail.com to register.
| Sliding Scale $32-45 |
| Financial Hardship $32.00 USD Regular $45.00 USD |
Past Workshops
September 29th- Dyeing Wool with Invasive Plants: Land Tending & Re-imagining Our Sense of Place
Join us to learn about harvesting plants for color using fire mimicry and wild-tending techniques. This workshop will include both hands-on and lecture portions as we go over techniques of caring for and rehabilitating oak savanna and coastal prairie ecosystems. We will discuss products and crafts that can be made from materials removed to enhance ecosystem health, and use naturalized “invasive” plant species to dye wool that can be used for felting, knitting, weaving and more. Each participant will leave with wool to use for their own projects, and a deeper understanding of various dyeing processes. Bring a bag lunch.
To register: https://arboretum.ucsc.edu/news-events/events/nature-crafts.html#burl
10-3, limited to 18, Ages 16 and up
$50 (members), $65 (non-members) + $15 materials
Oct. 27th- Eco-printing on Silk
Using leaves, flowers, vegetable skins, mushrooms, nut hulls and roots, we will naturally dye silk scarves. Eco-print is a technique where plants are placed on silk and wrapped around a copper, iron, or aluminum pole and steamed in a hot water bath. We will discuss using different dye mordants, harvesting and incorporating abundant local plant species, “recycling” food scraps by dyeing with them, and how to imprint the shape of plants onto fiber. Everyone will leave with a dyed silk scarf they make themselves. This class will include a short walk to identify particular plants, and classroom time designing and steaming our scarves. Please bring snacks or lunch for yourself.
10-2, Ages 16 and up, limited to 15
$50 (members), $60 (nonmembers) + $15 materials
APOCALYPTIC HERBS 