Victoria
Hantout
My project is a quilt created from naturally dyed fabric from plants grown and harvested on my land in Saranac, NY. The quilt, approximately 80” x 90”, will be entirely composed of fabric dyed using plants grown locally, featuring appliqué, embroidery, and hand-quilting techniques that abstractly represent the land’s history, topography, and geography.
I will grow dye plants beginning from seed in a greenhouse in the field behind my home. Ranging from, but not limited to, Japanese Indigo, Hopi Sunflower, and Dyer’s Coreopsis, I will be able to extract colors of red, yellow, green, purple, and blue. In the North Country we have a short growing season and long winters. Maintaining a dye garden requires intention and care, and a greenhouse is a necessary tool for it to blossom. In addition to my chosen variety of dye plants, I will also harvest wildcrafted native dye plants for dyeing purposes. I will conduct dye studies by harvesting the plants and extracting color from the plants by producing dye baths to dye fabric and yarn. Throughout the growing season, the greenhouse and garden will be open to community members, allowing them to engage in open discussions about dye plants and their properties.
The goals of this project are rooted in community engagement and knowledge exchange. Through the garden walk-and-talks, natural dye demonstrations, and open discussions, community members will be directly participating in the making process and gain skills to work with natural dyes themselves.
Beyond the final exhibition, the accompanying dye book and recorded demonstrations will be available as a lasting resource for anyone interested in exploring natural dyeing.
I do believe that working with natural fibers, dyes, and gaining the skills to create necessary objects is a form of art and resistance. By giving more folks access to learn these skills, and be inspired by traditional crafts, we are taking our power back. Not everyone has had the access to learn these skills, traditionally passed down generationally, and I believe there is so much value in sharing this information.
The project also aims to support and uplift fellow fiber artists, makers, and crafters by honoring these practices as skilled, time-intensive, and deeply valuable forms of knowledge and labor.
