Bugs are the Best! Natural Dyeing Yarns with Mona Lewis

Bugs are Best!

One natural dye that changed history actually comes from insects! The  Cochineal is a scale insect which lives on the Prickly Pear cactus.  Since 1,000 BCE, Cochineal was used in South and Central America. When it became available in Europe in the 1600s, it was worth it's weight in  gold. 

The Cochineal Red was used exclusively by the military and the  clergy for some time. In recent years, it has been used in cosmetics and  as food coloring… ( Strawberry Frapuccino anyone? I am not kidding). If you love pinks in all shades, this is your class!  

Using  wool yarn and 2 silks that I have prepared for you, we will discover  the vibrant reds and sweet pinks this special dye can yield. (Don't  worry, we don't have to gather them, I have a source for the  freeze-dried version- more convent I think.) I will also introduce the  modifying bath, or after bath technique, for some extra surprises.

 About Mona 

 Mona's website can be found here

Mona Lewis is an artist and arts educator in Los  Angeles and Ventura counties, specializing in revitalizing the lost art  of using plant dyes and earth pigments and teaching students how to use  them in their work.  

She has been an educator in Waldorf education 1998, and is co-director of the Waldorf Practical Arts Teacher Training program.  Mona has illustrated three books for writer Alan Salazar, exclusively with natural earth pigments.  

Her own book, Nature’s Paintbox, is a collection of easy plant dye and earth pigment projects for artists of all ages.