Posted 4 years ago
2 MIN READ – If you’re looking for new ways to get crafty at home, look no further than Chicago Fashion Incubator Designer in Residence Amy Taylor’s Natural Dye Kits. The perfect introduction to the magic of natural dyes, her kits make natural fabric dyeing a breeze.
Each kit includes everything you need to get started: 1 mason jar, 1 silk scarf, alum mordant, dye material, and twine for optional shibori. You can find easy step-by-step instructions here, along with design tips and tricks here.
You'll need a stainless steel pot to pre-mordant your fabric using her foodsafe alum. Everything else can be done in its own mason jar, and your mordant and dye bath can be re-used to keep the fun going.
She offers five stunning colors to choose from: Osage (sunshine yellow), Cochineal (bright magenta), Chamomile (soft butter yellow), Cutch (café au lait brown), and Marigold (golden yellow).
The Chicago Fashion Incubator provides emerging Chicago-based designers with resources, including work space, mentoring, and workshops, to help grow their careers in fashion. Workshops range in topics from media training, creating business plans, cost analysis, and building a brand strategy to more artistic sessions like preparing patterns for production to color and proportion theory. Throughout the program, the designers have the chance to establish relationships with a network of industry professionals including lawyers, accountants, fashion buyers, merchandisers, and branding, marketing, and communications experts.
While CFI’s offices and workspaces, located in the Pedway of Macy’s State Street, remain closed due to COVID-19, the Incubator continues to provide robust programming as well a mentoring for both its current and alumni designers.
Amy Taylor joined Chicago Fashion Incubator in spring 2020 for her one-year residency. She is a natural dyer and textile artist living and working in Chicago. She creates exquisite textiles using only natural dye materials such as plants, insects, and mineral salts. With a passion for eco-friendly materials and ethical fashion, Amy’s work focuses on fabric and form to create high quality, one-of-a-kind garments to make her customers feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful.
