Around the World in 80 Dyes

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Colorado Springs, CO
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

10/31/2026

Tis the season. Pomegranates! Two for one at my usual market. Buy them, peel them, eat them, juice them, dry the rinds and make great gold and yellow dyes. Haven’t worked with them since I was in Argentina last November and looking forward to seeing what colors I can make again.

10/29/2026

The murals on my building are done. A lot of hands doing creative things, from planting to pottery. Took him about six weeks.

10/28/2026

Using the tiniest of scraps and leftovers to make little things. Indigo-dyed silk ribbon on dyed wood spools and kits for whatever.

10/28/2026

Local and regional peeps: Save the Date! Dec. 5 Colorado Farm and Art Market at The Margarita. I’ll be there along with creators of arts, baked goods, beverages, winter produce, jams and other yummy things. Come enjoy the market, have a hot beverage, say hi and see Santa, of course.

10/27/2026

I love how this border turned out. Photos don’t do it justice. Oak and cottonwood leaves plus wild field coreopsis flowers with a bit of iron, tied tight and steamed. The lower right piece of orange (more wild coreopsis) will hold a label describing all the colors and thus won’t be so jarring. Next, hand quilting.

10/26/2026

This is what a busy sewing week looks like in a small space. The big plastic storage bins and folding tables come out from under the bed and pretty much block everything else. Need to get into the kitchen area or bathroom? Scoot sideways. But it all works for me. Despite the size of my loft, I’m more productive now than I’ve been in a long time.

10/23/2026

From the mountains and plains and back again. Starting to recreate those mountains and plains using fabrics dyed with plants and minerals foraged in the Colorado mountains and plains.

10/21/2026

The colors of wild Colorado. From the pink of prickly pear cactus fruit and the cochineal that live on them to the tans of tree barks and blue of oak leaves to the many yellow- and orange-producing flowers, they are all foraged sustaining local forests and fields.

10/20/2026

New blog post about the colors in your kitchen. https://80dyes.com/f/color-in-the-kitchen Or go to my website, 80dyes.com, and scroll to the blog section.

10/15/2026

Windy, drizzly, gloomy day — perfect time to start my Kitchen Colors piece. All fabrics dyed with kitchen waste or spices. Onion skins, pomegranate rinds, avocado pits, black beans, turmeric, achiote seeds, used black tea bags, butterfly pea flower tea, bay leaves, coffee grounds, paprika. I save it all and give it a second use.

Address

Downtown
Colorado Springs, CO

Website

http://80dyes.com/

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