Crow Timber Frame Barn Art Retreats

Carol Soderlund

An artist and educator for 25+ years, Carol’s curiosity about the range of color derived from blending yellow, red, and blue dyes led to the creation of her Color Mixing system for dyers. Carol encourages the freedom of mixing color by eye with results-based samples to guide the student, and also teaches simple methods for reproducing color on cloth.

A former high school teacher, Carol loves to develop original course material and share this knowledge with her students. Carol was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2013 and again in 2015 by the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals.

Carol is co-author of Playful Fabric Printing with Melanie Testa. She has shown her quilts in juried venues across the country, winning awards including Best of Show at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.

Carol’s web site

Registration form

• May 19-24, 2024 | Color Mixing for Dyers 4
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Color Mixing for Dyers 4
• Level: Beginner to advanced - Previous experience with Procion MX dyes a plus, but not required
• Sewing machine: No
• Materials fee: $70
• Dye facility usage fee: $30

• SORRY, class is full To be placed on waiting list, please send in registration & deposit. If space does not become available, a full refund of the deposit will be issued.

Tuition & Meal plan per 5-day class with Carol:
• $1345 | paid in full as soon as possible | 5-day Tuition ($1025) & Meal plan ($320)

• Sign up for one or both weeks of Carol’s workshops.

DESCRIPTION
This is a brand new class!

Students will be creating a fourth set of color families never previously dyed in Carol’s classes. We will be using some different yellow, red, and blue dyes as primaries than in previous classes, including some fairly new to the marketplace. Whether you are brand new to Carol’s process of creating color mixes from pure primary colors, or if you are an experienced dyer wanting a new set of samples, this is your opportunity!

Dye the color you choose, not the color that chooses you! Explore the unlimited number of hues possible by mixing only pure reds, yellows, and blues of Procion MX fiber reactive dye. Teams of students will use different sets of primaries that when mixed will yield hundreds of colors in a wide range of values. Sharing the results, each student will build a sample book of more than 1,000 dye swatches and their recipes on 100% cotton fabric. This book will become an invaluable reference for future dyeing. Using the sample book as a guide, each student will apply the basic techniques of dyeing, including dyeing value gradations, over-dyeing, and low water immersion techniques.

Along with this hands-on approach, students will come to understand color theory in three-dimensional model that goes beyond the color wheel. We will examine the difference between color theory and color reality, and break through the confusions of so many color systems that are not dye-based. This course will be a wonderful foundation for wearable artists, quilters, needleworkers, weavers, and dyers of cellulose fibers and silk, or for anyone who wants to learn more about the interactions of color.

SUPPLIES
(Please label your own supplies)

5 yards fabric for further dye explorations:
• PFD - prepared for dyeing - fabric recommended. In addition to cotton, you may bring some silk, rayon, linen or tencel if you like to work in these fibers.
Note to weavers: It is fine if you would like to bring some skeined yarns for dyeing: cotton, linen, rayon, tencel, or silk.
• Optional: samples of your dyed fabric and/or photos of your work

Office supplies:
• Notebook for note taking and a pen
• Two three-ring binders, one 1 1/2” thick and one 1/2” thick
• 100 CLEAR page protectors (Buy in bulk at office supply store: do not buy those that have holes through the main section of the page protector. You want the ones with holes through the band on the margin.)
• Scotch double sided tape - 1/2” wide (enough to total 100 yards of tape)
• Masking tape
• 30 long (#10) envelopes
• Stapler plus extra staples
• 20 rubber bands
• Sharpie (permanent marker)
• Calculator

Cutting tools:
• Small pair scissors for paper and one pair for fabric
• Rotary cutter (Bring a fresh straight blade as you will cut through numerous layers at once. The large 60mm cutters work the best for this. Students tell me that if you bring a 45 mm cutter you will struggle, as the depth of fabric is deeper than the exposed blade.)
• Rotary cutting mat (11” x 17” or larger if you can manage it)
• Quilter’s plexiglas rulers (6” x 24” and 6” x 12”)
• Optional: June Tailor Shape Cut ruler - the large size. The slots must be at least 11”” long. This is particularly good for weavers and those inexperienced in rotary cutting. Sign up for JoAnn’s newsletters and they will send you 40% off coupons.

Other items:
• Iron and ironing pad, or old terry towel (if you are driving)
• Adhesive lint roller from the dollar store
• Rubber gloves - both the loose dishwashing kind that extend up the arm, and the close-fitting latex or nitrile kind
• 3 pointy top squeeze bottles, 8 oz. each
• Two 5 gallon buckets (if you are driving)
• One large strong plastic spoon at least 12” long - straight, not bent, is better
• One box of one gallon Ziploc bags
• Dye mask, if you have one
• Apron or old clothes

Plastic Containers: (If you are flying, we will arrange to get these items for you as needed.)
• 15 plastic party cups (8 oz. or larger) and 10 plastic picnic spoons
• One plastic orange juice bottle - Simply Orange brand (or limeade, etc.) at least 1.5L
• One gallon milk jug - Rinse all jugs, and be sure to keep the caps!

Materials fee info:
Carol will provide all the dyes and chemicals necessary, as well as over 100 pages of handouts and swatch book pages, and all the fabric necessary for the sample book. Carol will bring a variety of other equipment to use in class.

If you have any questions about the materials list or the course in general, please contact Carol
• May 26-31, 2024 | Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Gray and Brown
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Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Gray and Brown
• Level: Intermediate to advanced - Some previous experience with Procion MX dyes required
• Sewing machine: No
• Materials fee: $60
• Dye facility usage fee: $30

• 5 spaces left

Tuition & Meal plan per 5-day class with Carol:
• $1345 | paid in full as soon as possible | 5-day Tuition ($1025) & Meal plan ($320)

• Sign up for one or both weeks of Carol’s workshops.

DESCRIPTION
Learn about making your own black mixes from the pure primary dyes. We will create the ever elusive:
• Neutral blacks, that gradate to neutral grays
• Warm blacks, that gradate to pinky lavender
• Cool blacks, that gradate to steely blue
• Grunge blacks, that gradate to greenish hues

In addition the class will cover creation of many neutral studies--tans, browns, gray-blues, gray-reds, and other chromatic grays. Think of the palest alabaster to inky night sky – all values ranges will be examined. Taupes and tans can be fascinating as well – ecru, heath, titanium, putty, and driftwood. Sharing our results, we will compile a large reference book – our own 50 Shades of Gray will just be the beginning of our explorations in Neutral Territory, as we cross into 50 Shades of Brown as well.

From shibori to low water immersion, neutrals pose their own unique dye challenges and opportunities. We will examine the particular tricks and tips for dyeing neutrals when using immersion, and low water immersion applications.

As time allows, interested students may also pursue discharge studies.
When the subtleties and color shifts of discharge are added to the mix, possibilities explode!

Consideration of the evocative nature of neutral color, and ideas of combining neutrals with punchy colors will be studied. From subtle atmosphere to dramatic moodiness, the range of expressiveness with neutrals is limitless.

SUPPLIES
(Please label your own supplies)

Fabric:
• 5 yards fabric for further dye explorations. PFD - prepared for dyeing - fabric recommended. In addition to cotton, you may bring some silk, rayon, linen or tencel.
Note to weavers: It is fine if you would like to bring some skeined yarns for dyeing: cotton,
linen, rayon, tencel, or silk
• Optional: samples of your dyed fabric and/or photos of your work

Office supplies:
• Notebook for note taking and a pen
• Pencil with a working eraser or a separate eraser
• Three-ring binder, one 1” thick
• 100 CLEAR page protectors (Buy in bulk at office supply store: do not buy those that have holes through the main section of the page protector. You want the ones with holes through the band on the margin.)
• Scotch double sided tape - 1/2” wide (enough to total 50 yards of tape)
• Masking tape
• Stapler plus extra staples
• 20 rubber bands
• Sharpie (permanent marker)
• Calculator

Cutting tools:
• Small pair scissors for paper and one for fabric
• Rotary cutter (Bring a fresh straight blade as you will cut through numerous layers at once. The large (60mm) cutters work the best for this. The 45mm cutters can work but you must have arm strength.)
• Rotary cutting mat (11” x 17” or larger)
• Quilter’s plexiglas rulers (6” x 12” is suggested size. Must be at least 12” long)
• Optional: June Tailor Shape Cut ruler - the large size (This is particularly good for weavers and those inexperienced in rotary cutting. Sign up for JoAnn’s newsletters and they will send you 40% off coupons. The Shape Cut Ruler WILL NOT WORK for this class unless
you have the 60 mm cutter, because of the number of layers we cut.)

Plastic Items: (If you are flying, the cups and orange juice bottle can be obtained at the grocery store after arriving. Check with Carol first.)
• 5 plastic grocery store bags, if you have some.
• One plastic orange juice bottle - 1.79L Simply Orange brand (or limeade, etc.)
• Plexiglass sheet - 1/8” thick by 11” x 14” or 12” x 12” (available at home centers or local glass shops)
• Three 6 or 8 oz. squirt bottles - these will hold your dye supply at your table
• Plastic room key or expired gift card - for scraping dye

Other items:
• Straight pins - for use on design wall
• Iron and ironing pad, or old terry towel (if you are driving)
• Adhesive lint roller from the dollar store
• Rubber gloves - both the loose dishwashing kind that extend up the arm, and the close-fitting latex or nitrile kind
• One roll paper towels (if you are driving)
• 2 large buckets - 3-5 gallons (if you are driving)
• One box of one gallon Ziploc bags
• Acid gas respirator - if you are interested in discharge work
• Apron or old clothes
• Graduated cylinders - if you have some from previous classes, bring your 10ml, 50ml, and
100ml cylinders. Carol will bring extra cylinders to share.

Materials fee info:
The materials fee covers all the dyes and necessary chemicals, handouts and swatchbook pages, and all the fabric necessary for the sample book. Carol will bring a variety of other equipment to use in class.

If you have any questions about the materials list or the course in general, please contact Carol

Images of Carol Soderlund, student work and classes at the Crow Timber Frame Barn

Carol Soderlund

• May 19-24, 2024 | Color Mixing for Dyers 4

Color Mixing for Dyers 4

DESCRIPTION

SUPPLIES

• May 26-31, 2024 | Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Gray and Brown

Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Gray and Brown

DESCRIPTION

SUPPLIES