Birmingham Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers holds a dyeing day every other year. It’s hosted by one of our members, Sarah, who prepares a selection of different natural dyes which are bubbling away in pots in her garden through the day. As an attendee, you just need to bring along prepared fibre, yarn or fabric, and add it to the dye pots.
Previously, I’ve taken along some small lengths of yarn to dye, but never done anything with them. So, for the most recent dyeing day in 2023, I was determined to take full advantage of the day by dyeing for a specific sewing project. There’s only limited space for everyone’s textiles in the dye pots, so I thought a pair of shorts would be most appropriate, and decided I would try Friday Pattern Company’s Sport Shorts pattern.
A review of my fabric stash unearthed some pale grey linen, which I thought would take the dye well, and which I cut into squares, scoured and mordanted ready. On the day, I popped a few squares into each of the natural dye pots; not every dye material gave a noticeable colour on the linen, but I got good results with (from top left) cochineal, weld, brown madder, indigo and logwood. At home, I prepared some indigo and dyed a few additional squares (including those which hadn’t taken colour on the dyeing day) to provide enough squares to make the shorts. As there was indigo to spare, I also dyed some white cotton fabric from my stash, for a second pair of Sport Shorts.
I sewed my dyed squares together into patchwork panels just large enough for each pattern piece, and sewed up a pair of Sports Shorts (in size Large). I didn’t have enough linen squares for the bias binding and waist tie, so instead used some of the indigo-dyed cotton fabric to make these.
I’m really happy with these shorts, and managed to wear them out and about a few times before the weather got too cold. Birmingham guild has another dyeing day coming up in 2025, so I need to start planning my next dyed garment project.
