Tips & Tricks — Conscious Costume Blog

by Amanda Whitfield

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As a costume designer and technician, I rely on the natural dye process of coffee and tea for dipping down bright whites to a softer tone and breaking down textiles when distressing clothing for film and stage. That had been my extent of natural dyeing experience until a few years ago when I started to find great joy in forging for plants. Initially, the excitement of forging started with finding wild blackberries, honeysuckle, dandelion, and chanterelle mushrooms to incorporate some whimsy in the kitchen and create flower essence for the bath. As I incorporated the grounding practice of forging into my homelife I started to get excited about abundance practice that I could incorporate into my work life.

*wild edible blackberries on a cutting board, Westside Atlanta*

*Cherokee Homestead Exhibit in the background, Historic Hayesville, Clay County, NC*

I discovered some history of natural dyeing when visiting heritage sites, art centers, and local museums in the Blue Ridge Mountains just a few hours north of Atlanta. I’ve learned that plant matters: you can’t just pick any plant, flower, or berry and expect the color to bond to fiber. I’ve been studying plants to grow and gather that will be easy to incorporate into my flow.

As I learn more about natural dyeing and the revival of natural dyes, a lot of lore and recipes are handed down and practiced across cultures from antiquity. This winter I found an abundance of black walnut and lichen on a hike in Hayesville, NC. The Appalachian Mountains were home to the dominant Cherokee Nation who utilized black walnuts for dyeing.

*pecan dye test nested with cheesecloth*

Foraging is a beautiful practice that connects me to nature. It comes with responsibility: take only what you need and no more than one third of the plant. You leave a third for the animals to eat and the remaining third for the earth to regenerate. Some of my favorite plants to forge for dye include: pecan, dandelion and goldenrod. I also save my avocado skins and pits in the freezer to use for a soft pink dye bath.

*fresh picked magenta dahlia’s & vanilla, orange, and tiger marigolds*

In addition to foraging and collecting plant matter you can grow a dye garden! Marigolds I planted last May bloomed until November with the Atlanta climate and are the easiest to grow. I also planted dahlias, gladiolas, and a eucalyptus tree last spring and have been gathering, drying, and storing the plant matter as I learn more about the mordants needed to make natural dyes stick. You can plant marigolds in a container or as a great addition to your vegetable garden. Not only do they deter pests and animals from eating your garden they smell amazing and can be used for flower essences and energy healing. What I love most about this study is that it allows me to slow down, experiment, and have full creative freedom. Fiber and mordants play a role with pigment, vibrancy, and making the color stick.

Suggested Reading:

Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing (Revised)
by: Rita J Adrosko

The Wild Dyer: A Maker's Guide to Natural Dyes with Projects to Create and Stitch
by: Abigail Booth

Wild Color: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes
by: Jenny Dean and Karen Diadick Casselman

The chart below is a color reference to get you started. If you are looking for a nature escape and to do some foraging check out my cabin rental in Murphy, NC on Instagram @TheCabinEffect, you can follow me @CostumeNotions. Happy Dyeing!

Getting Started: NATURAL DYE COLOR CHART

Pink(ish): Avocado, Pecan, Fresh Dahlias. Yellow(ish): Marigold, Dandelion, Goldenrod. Black/Brown(ish): Black Walnut, Lichen, Dried Dahlias. Orange(ish): Eucalyptus, Marigold, Tumeric

Amanda Whitfield

Amanda Whitfield is an Atlanta based Costume Designer and the Costume Shop Manager at Theater Emory. Her work spans Theater, Film, Dance, Academia and Apparel.

By: Amanda Whitfield

Amanda 1.jpg — Amanda on a hike in North Carolina. Light skinned woman with long hair in a forest with bright sunlight.

Pivoting a season to virtual production caused shifts in calendar planning, reduced rehearsal time, and created strong opposition to the law of production. While I found pulling from previous practices gave me a pathway to solving problems, I needed to re-think approaches to the tried and true and find balance with the law of production.

I’m a huge fan of actors wearing their own shoes in production. It saves time, money, and is an opportunity to collaborate with the actor. While the actor may not always have the perfect shoe for their character this is a great conversation starter to discuss character attributes and a more conscious option.

Grecian draped knit costume dress made of hemp, wool, and cotton fibers on a dress form with woman in black wearing a mask taking the photo reflected in the mirror.

EXPANDING COLLABORATION

Virtual production allowed me to expand collaboration and further engage the actor by pulling from the actors closet. Research and design ideas were presented to our cast before zoom consultations where the actor brought some items from their wardrobe inspired by the costume research or sketch. We talked through options in a short conversation that included our director and stage manager. During the consultation we decided if additional items or instructions need to be provided. Shop assistants supported production by developing “how-to” worksheets and “dress lists'' for actors and stage managers to reference. Continuing to pull from actor closet’s can further engage the collaboration process and is a balanced approach with costume production whether in person or streaming performances.

TIME MANAGEMENT

I plan to continue virtual design, team meetings, and initial actor emails. Maintaining remote practices to save time and energy by continuing virtual measurements and fittings whenever possible. While the needs of the show may dictate in-person activity a virtual fitting and fit photos can be a successful mode of communicating. Email correspondence with actors explore conversations about character and center actors as an expert of their body by discussing what clothing they own, where they make purchases, comfortable sizes, and any values they have around clothing their body.

PRACTICING VALUES

I took some time to expand my values and attend training on equitable and green practices. Advocating for pay equity and additional staff is an important practice. I'm in the process of involving production partners and creative team members with evolving backstage dressing room practices. Part of my job is to inform our collaborators of the production needs; virtual reality gave me an opportunity to build on communication and transparency that I’m determined to carry forward.

My value awareness has expanded and I’m improving choices with my work. I prioritize choosing fabrics and natural fibers such as hemp, bamboo, wool and cotton. I repurpose notions & trims and restore garments so they can be reused for another show. I encourage actors to keep items they will reuse. Purging what no longer serves my stock and workshop has allowed me to use and share resources with fresh eyes. Using what I already have and investing in organizing inventory is an ongoing project to carry forward. I’m trying alternatives to plastic storage bins and found rectangular canvas totes great for sorting fabrics because I can pin fabric swatches to the bags for a quick reference.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Laundry products in front of potted plants.

The summer downtime from production allowed me time to pivot standard practices and research new products to further reduce consumption and consider alternatives to the tried and true. I discovered Earth Breeze liquidless laundry detergent sheets, Cosy House Collection reusable wool dryer balls, and sourced local Atlanta cleaning products Squeaky Green to reduce waste and save energy. I’ve enjoyed questioning my practices and looking to new brands for expanding choices. Implementing a new practice can take time and is not perfect, letting go of perfectionism is part of the evolution towards equity and conservation. I’ve learned setting small goals and working towards change can have a big impact.

PARTNERSHIP

Purging what no longer serves my stock and workshop has allowed me to use and share resources with fresh eyes and to give unused items another purpose. Now that I can see my resources, I can share them with my students and designers. Our collective consciousness can evolve the industry as we continue our work and imagine fresh ideas, systems, and values. What impact or changes have you made during this time? How have you pivoted your craft and artistry? What techniques or resources can you share?

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Getting Started with Natural Dyes: Growing and Gathering

Carrying Forward Practices Discovered in Virtual Theatre