A few weeks ago I received and email from Hannah Ross, a Pratt student eager to learn our natural dyes concoctions.   She is a fashion and textile design student on her 3rd year.  It is always completely delightful teaching to the hungry for knowledge types. In just 2 weeks Hannah helped me make samples, patterns and dye fabric. Since she proved so capable  and the only way to really learn is by doing, I trusted her with our scarf project a special edition of scarfs to be sold only at the Bring it to the People Pop Up Shop in the Soho Lofts. We have had 15 yards of hand dyed indigo fabric for over a year now. The fabric was dyed in the Goods of Concience studio in The Bronx, however being that hand dyeing with a live indigo vat is so costly I knew I could never make the fabric (a silk/hemp and organic cotton blend –  costly already) into clothes.

After some testing, we decided a tumeric dip was the best over dye the scarfs. It gave us this beautiful green color. Hannah crimped and folded the scarfs to her taste and in they went. We chose the size of the scarfs based on practicality, they had to be big enough to be a shawl, a beach cover up, a head wrap and a winter scarf, all in 1 piece of cloth with a rolled hem. I love multi use everything! Below is our Indigo and Tumeric adventure in photos:

Hannah setting up her tumeric baths

The scarfs were left overnight so the tumeric would create and ombre effect.

The bath

The final result of 1 of them. All 7 are totally different.

There you have it.