Glenna Dean
Title
Glenna Dean
Description
Glenna Dean - Abiquiu Dye Studio
I am the retired New Mexico State Archaeologist. Over my professional years, I have been fortunate to dovetail my advanced degrees in archaeology and botany with my interest in experiencing aspects of daily life in the past. My twigs-and-berries approach to natural dyeing focuses on sustainably gathered or wild-crafted plants growing in Northern New Mexico generally within a 20-mile radius of my home. To support experimentation with old dye recipes, my ridiculously small dye garden is planted to madder (Rubia tinctorum) in a great big flowerpot, indigo (Polygonum tinctorium) in a smaller flowerpot, and weld (Reseda luteola) and woad (Isatis tinctoria) in the ground. I collect the tiny harvests that local soils and climate permit and save them up over the years for special projects. Wild cochineal (Dactylopius sp.) dye insects can also be collected in the area and saved up for occasional use. For my regular work, I purchase commercial indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), madder, and domesticated cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) from the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center.
My natural-dye experience spans 50+ years around the edges of my day jobs. I developed my innate color sense through experimentation with colors yielded by plants, lichens, fruits, and mushrooms. Detailed dyeing recipes and techniques available “back in the day” were not based on chemistry or even botany as much as they are now, so early on I narrowed my search for dye sources to those with good lightfastness on wool.
I dye luxury sock and sweater yarns featuring Merino, Superwash Merino, Merino x Corriedale, Yak, Cashmere, Silk, Mohair, or Nylon fiber in a wide variety of combinations for enhanced wear and saturated dye uptake. Yarns are available as individual skeins or as kits that include a pattern created for that yarn by Necessary Little Luxuries, a talented women-owned company that designs knitting patterns for special creations - the little luxuries in life. I also dye yarns suitable for traditional Colcha embroidery with colors authentic to the Spanish Empire period from locally raised, heritage Churro sheep. My Colcha-embroidery kits, combining these Churro yarns with handwoven ground cloth (sabanilla) stamped with a traditional design, provide an introduction to this unique art form.
The Abiquiu Dye Studio combines a deep appreciation for traditional cultures of the area with inspirational landscapes and idiosyncratic techniques I have developed for dyeing yarn over the years. My work can be seen and purchased at the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center.
I am the retired New Mexico State Archaeologist. Over my professional years, I have been fortunate to dovetail my advanced degrees in archaeology and botany with my interest in experiencing aspects of daily life in the past. My twigs-and-berries approach to natural dyeing focuses on sustainably gathered or wild-crafted plants growing in Northern New Mexico generally within a 20-mile radius of my home. To support experimentation with old dye recipes, my ridiculously small dye garden is planted to madder (Rubia tinctorum) in a great big flowerpot, indigo (Polygonum tinctorium) in a smaller flowerpot, and weld (Reseda luteola) and woad (Isatis tinctoria) in the ground. I collect the tiny harvests that local soils and climate permit and save them up over the years for special projects. Wild cochineal (Dactylopius sp.) dye insects can also be collected in the area and saved up for occasional use. For my regular work, I purchase commercial indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), madder, and domesticated cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) from the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center.
My natural-dye experience spans 50+ years around the edges of my day jobs. I developed my innate color sense through experimentation with colors yielded by plants, lichens, fruits, and mushrooms. Detailed dyeing recipes and techniques available “back in the day” were not based on chemistry or even botany as much as they are now, so early on I narrowed my search for dye sources to those with good lightfastness on wool.
I dye luxury sock and sweater yarns featuring Merino, Superwash Merino, Merino x Corriedale, Yak, Cashmere, Silk, Mohair, or Nylon fiber in a wide variety of combinations for enhanced wear and saturated dye uptake. Yarns are available as individual skeins or as kits that include a pattern created for that yarn by Necessary Little Luxuries, a talented women-owned company that designs knitting patterns for special creations - the little luxuries in life. I also dye yarns suitable for traditional Colcha embroidery with colors authentic to the Spanish Empire period from locally raised, heritage Churro sheep. My Colcha-embroidery kits, combining these Churro yarns with handwoven ground cloth (sabanilla) stamped with a traditional design, provide an introduction to this unique art form.
The Abiquiu Dye Studio combines a deep appreciation for traditional cultures of the area with inspirational landscapes and idiosyncratic techniques I have developed for dyeing yarn over the years. My work can be seen and purchased at the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center.
Business Name
Abiquiu Dye Studio
Contact Information
puchteca@windstream.net
Geolocation
Citation
“Glenna Dean,” Española Valley Fiber Arts Center, accessed April 28, 2024, https://evfac.omeka.net/items/show/111.