India Flint invites dyers working with Australian indigenous plants to participate in a new national investigative dye project.

While the late Jean Carman led the way in exploring eucalyptus dyes, and the Victorian Handspinners & Weavers produced a most useful book in the 1970s, relatively little has been published on native plants and  their dye potential (corrections to this possible misconception welcome!). 

Rather than one person working in isolation, nibbling away at the metaphorical iceberg; it is hoped this project will embrace the work of many participants. Working with a uniform recording method and data sample sheet and using digital reproduction methods  it should be possible to collate a wealth of information which could then be published either in the form of a book, or alternatively on a CD. In the interim samples will be uploaded to a blog.

Upon registration each participant will be sent a standard data sheet template for printing on which the essentail details can be noted. They will be asked to provide a herbarium specimen to confirm identification as well as a small dye sample to accompany the information. The final publication will feature the names of all participants as well as their specimens and samples.

To register your interest in participating, please mail your details to India via the contact page. Your contribution will be important even if you only choose to investigate one plant species.

 

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