join US…
…and a small group of creatives, on a bountiful journey during harvest season that will leave you feeling inspired by the magic that is natural color!
The Harvesting Hues workshop is designed for those who are curious about the earth’s rainbow palette and how to capture its unique hues through various techniques on all kinds of natural fiber.
You’ll have time away to pause and soak up the rural landscape’s vibrant cast by working in a blooming dye garden to welcome the gift of organic color into your creative practice.
Our time together will be a balanced mix of daily workshops that include harvesting dye plants and foraging local flora to create one-of-a-kind hand-dyed designs on fiber with ample time for creative play in the dye studio nestled on the beautiful 70 acres of Junction Garden.
Color
This retreat is designed to experience a harvested rainbow that is possible solely from organic matter gifted by Mother Nature. We will pluck natural color from dye garden favorites of Japanese indigo, weld, cosmos, coreopsis & scabiosa, as well as forage from the surrounding woodlands to explore their unique hues in the dye pot and beyond.
Cloth
Woven fibers of cotton, silk & wool will be our natural substrates to bundle with flora and dip into our harvested hues. We’ll also invite paper into the material mix as another fibrous friend who loves nature’s hues as well.
Create
Get ready to snip & mash your way to extracting dyes for a stack of natural textiles in all shapes and sizes. Cultivate your botanical printing curiosity by creating fall foliage motifs sprinkled with flecks of flowers on silky fibers. Keep your fingers busy with folding, twisting & tying to make unique resist patterns and designs. We will explore simple ways to capture the surrounding flora as a treasured memory of our days at Junction Garden together.
Collect
With our outdoor studio just steps from the dye garden, we’ll roll up our sleeves to harvest cultivated color & venture on a foray to collect leaves for eco-printing.
Commune
At its very colorful core, this workshop is a safe space to play, experiment and discover together with a small group of creatives who find joy in the magic of nature’s palette.
About The kennebec river valley
The Kennebec River Valley in central Maine is a picturesque region known for its stunning natural beauty and rich history. Stretching from the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, the valley boasts lush forests, rolling hills, and fertile farmland. The river itself is a focal point of the area, providing visitors a chance to enjoy outdoor recreation, explore quaint small towns along its banks, and learn about the rich heritage of this enchanting region of Maine.
Harvest season in the valley is an especially beautiful time of vibrant colors, bustling activity, and celebration of the bounty grown in its fertile land. Rural communities welcome the transition from late summer to early fall with festivals and fairs that showcase local agriculture, crafts, music, and food, enticing visitors to explore from near and far and experience the magic of the autumnal equinox.
junction garden
Nestled in the countryside of Vassalboro, Maine, Junction Garden is a vibrant market garden, offering a fusion of natural dye plants, blossoming flowers, and an array of produce. With a focus on sustainability and community enrichment, this family-owned farm, stewarded by John and Eileen since 2018, spans across 70 acres adorned with a charming farmhouse and barn dating back to the 1870s.
Guided by an ethos of environmental stewardship, the farm embraces practices that honor the Earth, employing organic and regenerative methods. Harnessing the power of solar energy and geothermal heating, Junction Garden harmonizes with nature to reduce its ecological footprint. Cultivation is approached with reverence, utilizing gentle, no-till methods, all accomplished with the human touch and the strength of hand-powered tools.
In every aspect of its operation, Junction Garden radiates a commitment to fostering a resilient community and a sustainable future, rooted in the fertile soil of Maine's countryside.
about your hosts
Margaret Byrd
Margaret is an installation and mixed media artist with a serious case of wanderlust. Roaming the globe, vast landscapes and naturally derived colors have inspired her artistic focus and visual aesthetic. Weaving her creativity into a daily practice, Margaret is currently working with organically dyed fibers, encaustic and dreaming up her next site-specific installation project.
Margaret shares her creative journey on her YouTube channel, Margaret Byrd: Color Quest, building a community to celebrate organic color through hands-on tutorials and vlog-style film dedicated to nature's palette. To connect more closely with other natural color loving creatives, Margaret teaches workshops and destination retreats around the world.
eileen flanagan
As co-owner of Junction Garden, Eileen's dedication to growing a diverse array of plants, from dye plants to flowers, vegetables, and herbs, speaks volumes about her passion for nurturing biodiversity and sustainability. By selling her seedlings at multiple farmers' markets and pop-up events, she's not only sharing her love for gardening but also empowering others to create their own beautiful gardens at home. As the growing season progresses, Eileen sells a wide selection of vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and natural dye products at farmers markets and nurtures her own natural dye garden.
Visitors who engage with Junction Garden are in for a treat— they can browse through a vibrant selection of seedlings, and learn from Eileen’s wealth of knowledge and experience in growing plants and natural dyeing.
itinerary sketch
DAY 1: mesh with fresh leaf indigo
9:00AM-12:00PM - Morning workshop
Welcome to Junction Garden! Inspired by the pale blue skies of the shifting season, we will start our natural color exploration with fresh leaf indigo (persicaria tinctoria). We will harvest stalks from the garden and demonstrate the blender method of converting leafy greens to icy blues. We’ll invite pinks, purples & greens of indirubin on silk by steeping in the frothy blend.
12:00-1:00PM - Lunch enjoyed together garden-side.
2:00-5:00PM - Afternoon workshop
Pass the salt as we mash silk in fresh leaf indigo leaves and make noise pounding tataki zome on paper postcards. We’ll return to the garden to pick our first dye flowers to add a dash of color to our designs. As we prep for Day 2, we’ll learn about mordants and build baths to soak fibers overnight for our continued exploration of organic color.
DAY 2: tint & print from forest to farm
9:00AM-12:00PM - Morning workshop
Inspired by the woodlands, our natural color journey brings us to the magic of botanical printing. We’ll forage leaves and harvest flowers to first bundle dye a design of vibrant colors on cotton. While our fiber is steaming, we’ll prepare our madder & tannin baths for the afternoon session highlighting blankets in eco-printing.
12:00-1:00PM - Lunch served together farm-style.
2:00-5:00PM - Afternoon workshop
By introducing dye & mordant blankets to our printing process, we’ll welcome color and enhanced lines to our two leaf-printed silk scarf creations. While we wait to unravel our fiber, we’ll play with binding techniques on cotton for resist dipping and brew our first dye pot of harvested weld and/or dyer’s chamomile to prepare for our expanded color palette on Day 3.
DAY 3: expand the band of color
9:00AM-12:00PM - Morning workshop
Inspired by the rainbow, today is about broadening our natural color spectrum through techniques of over-dyeing and shifting with pH and metal modifiers. We’ll prepare several fresh flower pots of cosmos, coreopsis & marigold to dye Junction Farm sheep’s wool yarn and add layers of color to our binded cotton. We’ll experiment with alkaline, acidic and iron baths for color modification with dip dyeing.
12:00-1:00PM - Lunch to celebrate our colorful creations.
2:00-4:00PM - Afternoon workshop
The dye pots will be open for free studio time to create unique magic on a cotton tote bag and finish dipping & drying all your fiber goodies to bring home as a memory of your time Harvesting Hues!
please note: this is our prospective itinerary which may change based on unexpected opportunities both in and out of the garden & dye studio.
the harvesting hues workshop includes:
Daily natural color workshops with Margaret & Eileen
All dye supplies including freshly picked flora from Junction Garden
Natural fibers of cotton, silk, wool & paper for you to create finished pieces to bring home as a colorful memory
Lunch and light snacks served daily on site
2024 WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS & TESTIMONIALS
frequently asked questions
IS THIS workshop FOR ME?
This workshop is designed for creative souls who have a love of organic color. The only prerequisite to joining is a curiosity & wonder of nature’s palette, an openness to experiment and a willingness to share your knowledge & experience with others who may be at a different stage in their natural color journey.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL ATTEND THIS workshop?
We can welcome 8 guests at this workshop.
HOW DO I GET TO junction garden?
Vassalboro is a rural community with no public transportation options, so guests will have to come by car. For those traveling by air, you can fly to Portland, Maine (70 miles) or Boston, Massachusetts (175 miles) and arrange a car rental. Airfare and ground transportation is not included in the price of the workshop.
where do I arrange lodging?
There are many types of hotel and Airbnb lodging to choose from in the greater Vassalboro area. Waterville (8 miles) and Augusta (12 miles) are larger towns with a wider selection of accommodations. There are also a few campgrounds in the region if that is more your speed. Harvest season is a popular time to visit the area, so please make lodging arrangements as early as possible. Lodging is not included in the price of the workshop.
Are there payment plans?
Full payment is required at the time of registration. There are no payment plan options at this time through my web shop, so please contact me to discuss if a payment plan is needed.
What is the CANCELLATION POLICY?
There will be no refunds offered for this workshop. For questions, concerns or workshop registration transfers, please reach out to margaret@margaretbyrd.com.
What isn’t covered in the cost?
· Airfare and ground transportation
· Lodging
· Any meals not included in the workshop
Make sure to note the cancellation policy under the FAQ’s above.
For further questions, feel free to contact me directly at margaret@margaretbyrd.com