Soderlund, Carol (#6323) Color Mixing for Dyers, September 11-15

Students will be creating new color families not previously dyed in Carol’s classes. This is a THIRD set of families, and we will be using some different yellow. red, and blue dyes as primaries than in previous classes. If you have been wanting a new set of samples, but would rather do the work cooperatively with classmates, this is your opportunity!

Dye the color you choose, not the color that chooses you! Explore the unlimited number of hues possible by mixing only pure reds, yellows, and blues of Procion MX fiber reactive dye. Teams of students will use different sets of primaries that when mixed will yield hundreds of colors in a wide range of values. Sharing the results, each student will build a sample book of more than 1,000 dye swatches and their recipes on 100% cotton fabric. This book will become an invaluable reference for future dyeing. Using the sample book as a guide, each student will apply the basic techniques of dyeing, including dyeing value gradations, over-dyeing, and low water immersion techniques. Along with this hands-on approach, students will come to understand color theory in three-dimensional model that goes beyond the color wheel. We will examine the difference between color theory and color reality, and break through the confusions of so many color systems that are not dye-based. This course will be a wonderful foundation for wearable artists, quilters, needleworkers, weavers, and dyers of cellulose fibers and silk, or for anyone who wants to learn more about the interactions of color.

Instructor Bio: Carol Soderlund began dyeing fabric in 1988 when she couldn’t find the colors she needed to bring the vision of a quilt to life. That hand-dyed quilt subsequently won Best of Show at the 1989 International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Since then, dyeing and surface design processes have become an enduring interest for her. An educator for 30 years, she encourages the freedom of mixing color by eye with results-based samples to guide the student. For Carol, the ability to dye any color and the increased understanding of the interaction of colors opens the door to spontaneity and intuitive use of color in her work. It is this joyful key to color she hopes to give her students. Please visit carolsoderlund.com for more information.