Indigo Dyeing Demo at Whitefish Bay Farm Gallery

Whitefish Bay Farm Gallery dyed yarn. Photo by Len Villano.

Whitefish Bay Farm Gallery opens for the 34th season on May 20 at noon. The gallery specializes in fiber art – hand felting, hand weaving, and knitting – along with beautiful naturally colored and naturally dyed yarns from the resident flock of Corriedale sheep. The exhibit also includes functional pottery, wood turned pieces and a smattering of photography.

A demonstration of indigo dyeing will occur May 20, 21 & 22, 1 – 4 pm. The demos are held weather permitting.

The indigo dye pot is magical. The dyer dips the yarn or fiber into the pot, which is colored a coppery yellow green. After one to four minutes, the yarn is removed from the pot. The yarn is green at this stage. Once in the outside air, the yarn begins to oxidize and turns blue. The oxidation process continues for 15 to 20 minutes. At that time, the dyer can choose to leave the yarn the shade of blue it is or can re-dip the yarn to create a deeper color. White, light gray, and medium gray yarns will be dyed along with small batches of white fleece from a favorite ewe, Ruby. The demonstration will occur outside in front of the large barn.

Whitefish Bay Farm Gallery is located at 3831 Clark Lake Road (County WD) – the road to Whitefish Dunes State Park.