Around the World in 80 Dyes

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Around the World in 80 Dyes

Naturally Dyeing Fabric & Fiber through history, humor and how-to. Instruction and insight without the scientific or academic seriousness.

Just fun in creating color from what nature provides

09/01/2026

A new blog post. It explains all things. Go to https://80dyes.com/f/moving-out-moving-on or 80dyes.com and scroll to the blog section.

08/22/2026

Every time I’m on this trail I smile and take lessons from the perseverance of trees that grow so tall out of a crack in a large boulder. The rock does not defeat the tree; the tree defeats the rock by eventually using its roots to crack the boulder apart.

08/17/2026

The guts of my dye/sewing studio now living in a 5x10 storage unit as I sort things out. With Betty the B***y Dress Form standing guard. ☹️🧵🪡

08/16/2026

Amid the turned-upside-down nature of my life at the moment, I still find a little time to sew and clear my head. Just finished this one called Remains of the Ranch: Rust and Rags. Rust dyed and little bits of other things, including burlap, old faded quilt pieces, a Levi’s pocket. Hand quilted with circles. No batting, just a light canvas back. No binding and instead allowed to naturally fray.

08/05/2026

Sold and headed to a great new home in South Carolina! Naturally dyed fabric food on an authentic airline seat back tray table (in its upright and locked position)

08/02/2026

A much needed moment of calm beauty and joy. I shall miss my dye garden.

07/31/2026

I wasn't ready ... but here I am unexpectedly facing the need to move and do it fairly quickly. So all work stops as I look for a place to house me, my dog, my dye work and my quilt stuff. I will call it an opportunity, not a problem. Doing a major downsize and re-focus was in my near future anyway. Just keep telling myself that.

07/27/2026

When I sit down at my sewing machine, it is almost always without a plan. I may have a vague idea of what I want to do or a ‘sketched in the middle of the night’ outline. But mostly it begins with upending the boxes and baskets of pieces leftover from other projects, failures, mistakes and the flotsam of foraging outdoors and in thrift shops. Then just starting to sew them together.

Here we have this week’s efforts.

On the left is another ‘winter’ piece of grays and blues and whites made of imprecise botanical printing, iron oxide dyeing and a previously rejected log cabin square.

On the right is one I’m calling Rusted Ranch Memories. Fabrics printed and dyed with rusty nails and other bits found around ranch buildings, a faded strip of quilt border, a piece of burlap pulled from a chicken coop, a pocket from discarded Levi jeans, a failed effort at mordant and mud painting, and pieces of old summer shirts.

07/25/2026

Another one of my 'I wonder what happens if ...' moments. Sumac leaves, coreopsis, sulfur cosmos and little rusty bits on mordanted thick cotton under weighted plexiglass in near 100F degrees sunshine. The left fabric was loaded with vinegar; right with iron water. Will take it apart in a few days to see what, if anything, prints.

07/24/2026

Didn't know what to do with those solar dye swatches ... so I did this. Colors are a little off in this image (crummy light) but you get the idea. Edges are raw, although I may do something with them if I think of an interesting idea.

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