CREATIVE FABRIC DYEING

Midlands Arts & Crafts Society in Pietermaritzburg offers workshops in gift wrap and fabric dyeing.

The Midlands Arts & Crafts Society (MACS) in Pietermaritzburg offers a weekend of pattern-dyeing gift wrap during December followed by a weekend of creative fabric dyeing in January 2010.

The workshop on December 17 and 18 between 09h00 and 12h00 sees Day 1 dealing with pattern dyeing gift wrap, using delicate tissue paper offering a good introduction to fabric dyeing. On Day 2, participants can print their own wrapping paper, using more substantial paper (green or brown) with the help of Indian print blocks – another good way to get into doing it on fabric.

The cost is R65 (R55 MACS members) for a single morning and R115 for both mornings (R100 MACS members). This includes all materials as well as tea/coffee and cake. All welcome from age 10 upwards. MACS teachers will facilitate.

Acclaimed fabric artist Jutta Faulds is the tutor for the next workshop which will be held on January 16 and 17 and takes the form of a Creative Fabric Dyeing Weekend. Titled Fabric To Dye For!, this intensive and informative course will cover technological information as well as a number of creative resist techniques, different ways of folding/pleating, stitching, tieing, knotting, etc, to richly patterned plain pieces of cloth. These pieces of fabric will be perfect to allow further embellishment through printing (Indian print blocks!), discharge etc.

Participants will be working with fibre reactive dyes, which can be applied decoratively to fabric in many different ways, all of which require slight modification of the basic process. At the end of the weekend, everybody should have a good stack of gorgeous cloth as these dyes work perfectly on large pieces of fabric. The theme of embellishing and transforming boring pieces of cloth will continue throughout next year, so this course provides a great foundation.

The cost is R395 (R360 MACS members) plus R60 for a basic dye kit of three primaries and black. Extra fabric will be available at MACS but participants should bring their own well-washed pure cotton fabric. Lunch will be provided at a nominal cost while tea/coffee etc comes free. Booking is essential. Phone Joy on 033 386 6500 during MACS operating hours:

MACS operates on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 08h00 to 16h00 (Thursdays 08h00 to 12h00) and Saturdays 08h00 to 14h00. The organisation is situated at MACS Art House, 23 Haldane Road, (corner of Ritchie Road), Bisley, Pietermaritzburg. More information on 033 386 6500.