Inspired by Jude Craig...

My daughter and I were lucky enough to have discovered Jude Craig's gorgeous eco-dying studio when we visited the Dandenong Ranges Open Studios and participated in a demonstration of the eco-dying techniques.

 

My daughter was so inspired that she chose Jude as one of her inspiration artists for a school art assignment, and Jude was amazingly warm and welcoming when asked if it was possible to interview her for the assignment.

The process of eco-dyeing usually takes a couple of weeks, but due to the short time-frame for the project, this had to be sped up. Thankfully Jude was kind enough to let Alannah use some of her collected leaves and onionskins for dyeing. Eco-dyeing involves a lot of experimentation, and Alannah was sure her experiment had failed...

But quite the contrary, they turned out so amazingly she couldn't bear to cut them up...

To learn more about this fabulous technique, visit Jude's website Naturally Dyed, Jude has a fabulous Winter Colours Workshop on this weekend in her studio in Upwey at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges.