Course Instructor: Namrata Bhutoria | Founder, ColorAshram Foundation
Color is the most common and powerful visual language in which we express and communicate with others.Up till the 1890s, we were only using natural colors that we re-sourced from natural resources only till we came upon discovering color from petroleum bi-products. The synthetic dye industry, though only 150 years old, has caused pollution of almost 500 years in air, soil, water, and our skin.
Since we all love clothes and fashion, it's important to understand what we wear and how it could be sustainable yet beautiful for our skin and our environment. Not only this, natural dyeing and printing language is soothing for the eye, meditative and brings us in harmony with nature. This course is designed to stir the sensorial experiences around natural color, the hands-on skills of dyeing and printing, and the intellectual stimulation ofunraveling the world of textiles and clothing.
Course Contents:
History of natural dyes, kinds of formulations, foraging in the backyard, and exploring to find color through a hands-on activity
Understanding natural dyeing through the Concept of a dye and mordant and a hands-on color bar activity where ph change brings about shade variations
What is a textile, how to identify a sustainable fabric, what do we wear, and what is the color co-relation with textiles and culture
Hands-on Extraction of dye from a dye source and dyeing on organic cotton swatches with two kinds of mordanting
Introduction to indigo color and its history and chemistry
Making of an indigo vat and learning about dyeing in indigo
Independent Hands-on dyeing on a bandanna in indigo - ready-to-wear
Demonstration and learning about eco-printing on fabric through 3 techniques
Knowing about standardizing natural dyes and industrial applications while learning to make a standardized dye bath in one color
Dyeing an old garment in the dye bath from beginning to end while doing tie dye
Learning about block printing as a craft and natural dyes block printing demonstration
Block Printing on a napkin, curing, and finishing