Welcome to Brighid's Dyers

It has been a while since we have updated the site - but that does not mean the solar dyeing has stopped by any means. there are so many resources these days. If you have items you would like to share with us - techniques, photos, profiles - please contact LlamaFarmGirl.

Hello Dyers and Dyer Wanna-Bees,

Spring means the eventual demise of winter, even in a Vermont that's stubborn to melt its snow. The sun is beginning to heat things up and is thankfully hanging around longer each and every day. Woohoo! Have already ordered my seeds...dye seeds included. I've been ordering dye seeds for the past few years from Pinetree Garden Seeds of Maine. Their packets are low in price and are of high quality. Most noteworthy, you'll be able to purchase weld seeds at Pinetree, which are not so easy to find otherwise. Anyone else have good sources for dye seeds/plants?

Spring also means it's time to dust off the ol' solar dyeing equipment and check that I'm stocked up on dyes (natural dye extracts, in my case) and assists. Sure, I have a wonderful, safe, indoor dyeing space (as seen in the past post, My Dye Studio) for which I am grateful, especially during inclement weather conditions and the frigid winter months. But once the sun starts shining and the temps go up, solar dyeing here I come...

In this post you'll find photos of a really neat tool that you may enjoy using in your solar dyeing. I purchased the black box with a clear lid from the Solar Oven Society. No, it wasn't cheap and I must admit, I enjoy using things I can make/buy inexpensively. But this oven is sooooo cool (or hot, as the case may be) that I couldn't resist. It's incredibly efficient and can be re-used yearly. The lid has a film on the inside that captures the rays even when the sun's not at its strongest. And the black box is insulated, to hold in the heat well. Note that the pots come with the set-up, so it's not too pricey afterall, once you add up what's included. I can justify anything I need in my fiber work, can't I? Not a bad trait....IF you ask me and not Chris.

Since we are heading towards the warmer months. Would YOU like to be one of Brighid's Dyers? If you are interested in solar dyeing, using natural or synthetic dyes, and/or you are interested in dyeing in general, then a member of Brighid's Dyers you can become. No dues involved. Just a love and/or interest in dyeing. Simply comment on the blog with solar or otherwise-heated dyeing questions/thoughts/ideas. If you are blogless (or not), you can send photos related to dyeing to me and I'll feature YOU on a post. Be sure to let me know you WANT to be a member of Brighid's Dyers and you'll be added to the list. We've set aside June 30, 2007 for our yearly meeting in Brattleboro, VT. Check here for more information about our get-together, complete with show-and-tell, as it becomes available. Brighid's Dyers are quite special in that we are watched over by Brighid ~ Goddess and Saint, who was said to be born with fire shooting out of her head. When trying to decide what to name our group of solar dyeing enthusiasts, we figured Brighid wouldn't mind taking us on. She's been great!! Join us...your dyebaths will thank you!

To read about how I became interested in solar dyeing in the first place and for more on how Brighid's Dyers began, let me refer you to My Early Natural Dyeing Adventures & Brighid's Dyers. In that post, I've referenced THE (historic, to my mind) solar dyeing issue that Spin Off magazine gifted us, back in Summer 1993. My own solar dyeing article, "Sun-Kissed Dyeing," came out in the Spin-Off's Summer 2005 issue.

In "Sun-Kissed Dyeing," I focused on making and using a solar panel for dyeing...a cheap, easy-to-make tool to "catch" the rays to cook the dyes. In the upcoming, Summer 2007 article for Spin-Off, (title of article not firm yet), Terry's Tub will be featured for use in solar dyeing. You'll also find Terry's Tub demonstrated in the past posts, Solar Mordanting and Solar Dyed Silk. And if you care to eventually peruse all the posts in my archives, I bet you'll notice that many of the fibers, yarns and projects mentioned were solar dyed. Why? There's something indescribably satisfying to harness nature's source of clean, free power...beats plugging in to electricity any day. And while I love the smell of a wood fire, breathing smoke, especially when I dyed for two of my past day jobs, did play havoc with my sinuses.

That's all for now. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers, Jenny Bakriges