The longer it cooks, the darker it gets," said Laurie Gundersen, telling passersby Saturday what was happening inside a kettle set up on an electric plate inside the U.S. Botanic Garden's west hall.
That wasn't lunch the West Virginia artist was talking about, but fabric that had been wrapped around a steel pole from a sheet-metal shop and tied with several feet of fine thread. Earlier, Ms. Gundersen had prepared the scene by filling the pot with water "flavored" by a dozen or more black walnut hulls she had brought with her from home.
What had begun as a piece of white silk was rapidly turning a deep shade of cocoa brown alongside a loose piece of fabric floating in the same kettle. Occasionally, she turned the pole and pulled it out to examine the progress of the coloration, smiling as she did so.
"It may take a while," she said. "The water isn't very warm."
Another vessel held shavings of the reddish-brown madder root. Liquid in a larger metal pot filled with goldenrod was slowly turning a yellow-green shade — dark green from the leaves, yellow from the pods.
These unusual concoctions were examples of techniques Ms. Gundersen was demonstrating during a free two-day public event to show how to use botanicals — chiefly plants native to the Appalachian region — for dyeing textiles by hand. Most of the methods she employed are derived from a traditional Japanese art form known as shibori.
Shibori incorporates many kinds of techniques, she explained patiently to wide-eyed visitors strolling through the conservatory corridor, much like a teacher before a group of students too restless to stay put. Printed matter and samples were laid out on tables; a rack held several pieces of finished work in vibrant colors.
Several people from Asian backgrounds nodded knowingly, acknowledging their acquaintance with the tradition on display.
Shibori incorporates many kinds of techniques, she explained patiently to wide-eyed visitors strolling through the conservatory corridor, much like a teacher before a group of students too restless to stay put. Printed matter and samples were laid out on tables; a rack held several pieces of finished work in vibrant colors.
Several people from Asian backgrounds nodded knowingly, acknowledging their acquaintance with the tradition on display.
