Janice Ford Memorial Dye Garden
We're a group of textile fanatics from the Rocky Mountain Weaver's Guild who raise dye plants at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms.
Indigo and the Dye Garden Video
This is the link to the video Marissa of Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms made for the volunteer summit of Donna doing an indigo demo and Cathy and Janet giving a tour of the our Janice Ford Memorial Dye Garden. I hope this link works. The video is titled, RMWG Final.
https://clipchamp.com/watch/6SUBwCmhYTe
Some of the hard working members
Petal print
Cathy putting a bag of flowers into the dye pot
Eunice watering the young indigo
Annie and Donna having some fun
Paul with his rug made from the dyes we grow
Cathy and Donna with a beautiful dyed skein
The sign by the garden explaining who we are
Kids camp bandanas
Fabric dyed with our Persicaria tinctoria
CSA staff with their heat press flower bandanas
Our madder root freshly dug
Mesh drying racks
Black hollyhocks for dyeing and printing
Dye day with kids camp
Mission Statement
The mission of the Rocky Mountain Weavers’ Guild Dye Garden Project is to preserve and promote the art and science of natural dyeing through outreach and collaboration with the Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms.
Meeting Times
During the summer months once the garden is planted the Natural Dye Garden Project (NDGP) meets at the garden every week on Wednesday mornings.
Participation Requirements
1. Become a member of RMWG
2. Attend a DBG volunteer Training session
The Janice Ford Memorial Dye Garden is on DBG property. The natural dye garden project members are considered DBG volunteers and are required to go through a DBG volunteer training. This orientation is a couple of hours and also involves a one-time fee for a t-shirt, a required badge to wear while at the garden and also a background check. For volunteer training information contact via email or call 720-865-4340.
Activities
The Natural Dye Garden project studies the use of various plants for natural dyeing. The collaboration between RMWG and DBG Chatfield farms began with the first garden being planted in 2014. Along with doing research on what plants to grow in the garden, the RMWG natural dye garden project members also provide financial support through selling dyed products and volunteer time to tend the garden, harvest plant materials for dyeing and and printing. Most of the summer the group meets at the garden once a week for weeding, harvesting, and dyeing. We provide a dye session as part of the DBG summer kid’s camps and do dye demonstrations during DBG’s special events. If you are interested in natural dyeing and in helping to maintain the dye garden, please contact us via email.
Historical Information
The Janice Ford Memorial Natural Dye Garden Project is a collaboration between the Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms. The Janice Ford family donated seed money to the guild to help establish it in July 2013. Many people who were interested in natural dyes formed the natural dye study group, led by Donna Brown, who has been studying and dyeing with natural dyes for over 30 years. The RMWG provides financial support for the dye garden project, which is also supported by donations and fund raisers. Fencing, irrigation, and signage were the primary expenses in the first year, but there are ongoing expenses for seeds and support materials. Much of the labor necessary to establish the garden has come from the Natural Dye Study Group and other interested guild members.
Each year, the Natural Dye Study Group choses that year’s annual dye plants, obtains the seeds for Chatfield Farms to germinate and grow in their greenhouse, and plan the garden layout. The first planting was May 28, 2014. While most of the dye plants are grown as annuals some plants are biannual or perennial.
To volunteer at the dye garden, please email us.
Optional Donation
The Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild is a 501(c)(3) organization. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to support the Natural Dye Garden Project using Paypal, click on the Donate button below. After Paypal responds, please check the box to include your street address. (You can also do make a donation by sending a check to the treasurer at the guild address!).
