Culture
Hands-on activity: Colors to dye for
Jennifer Watt | April 20, 2015
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When you visit Peru, you’re surrounded by a visual explosion of colors and textures woven into the very fabric of life in the Andes.
The landscape itself displays a tapestry of fields and crops once described to me as “the clothes of mother earth,” while the textiles of Peru follow a vibrant journey start to finish, depicting stories and images related to individual lives and Andean culture. ( Check out our video here.) But before you get to Peru, let’s see what you can design at home!
To share this experiment with your students, you can share this article, download our student PDF, or just choose a part of this lesson to share!
Today, we are going to experiment with dyeing fabrics with ingredients that you can find in your home. You can use foods and spices from your pantry to change the color of paper or cloth. Some examples of foods you can use to make dye are turmeric, cranberries, red cabbage, and skins from red or yellow onions—but look around your house and try other food items you think might work!
To get started:
Let’s reflect: Were your predictions correct? What was the most effective dye? What surprised you?
Still looking for more? You can experiment with 2 other variables: mordents and materials. Don’t forget: Always set aside a sample material from the original dye bath to compare.
Mordents
These are things that help “fix” the color to the cloth, or make the color stick. Some examples are lemon juice, vinegar, and salt—but, again, feel free to experiment!
To get started:
Let’s reflect: What were the results? Might you get different results using a different dye bath? Did different materials respond in different ways?
Materials
What do you want to dye? Make sure you’re not experimenting with anything you’re not okay with changing color, so find some old clothes, paper, or other supplies you have around.
To get started:
Let’s reflect: Do the materials you’re testing respond differently in the same dye bath or with different mordents?
Now that you’re a master of your process, the world is yours! Try creating designs, or continue experimenting with more colors. Make sure to share what you’ve created with your class.
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Jennifer Watt
Before joining EF in January of 2012, Jennifer taught people of all ages (from grade school to grad school), specializing in experiential, environmental and science education. She taught in rural and urban settings here at home in the US, and in Nicaragua, Botswana, Peru, and Ecuador. She is a passionate advocate for immersive intercultural experiences as a gateway for catalyzing personal growth and life-altering experiences, and has been to Peru more than 40 times!
