An ode to woad

Am I bleu... yes I'm blue.
Finger tips & my wrists,
All pretty blue....
Let's not forget, the fabric too!!

On Saturday, April 9th, I had the pleasure to participate in a woad dye workshop. Folks came in from as far as Seattle, Honolulu & San Francisco to partake in this unique experience. Woad is a european plant that has been used for centuries & produces a lovely blue color. At the workshop, I found out that there is a local invasive species called 'dyers woad'. It's unknown if it can be used to produce dye. Anyway, everyone was instructed to bring items to dye or you could purchase lace, ribbon, hankies or other items at the French General store. I dug out 3 large linen damask table cloths, 6 napkins, a cotton scarf & a linen blouse. When I was done with those items, I wanted to dye more, so my hat went into the dye bath! (I was kicking myself for leaving the sundress & 6 balls of yarn at home) Next time I'm going to raid my closet & yarn stash. I have so many ideas/experiments that I want to try but I don't know if I'll be able to wait until the next woad workshop... it might be an interesting craft filled summer! Ultimately, my plans for the table linens is a new bed spread. The logistics of the bed spread hasn't come to me yet I know I'll figure it out sooner or later. All in all, I had a fantastic time, met a lot of friendly people & was inspired by a little plant called woad.