Colorado, USA
Janet Day Owner and Artist
Dyeing and Printing Fabrics with What Nature Provides in Colorado and Around the World
Welcome
Welcome to Around the World in 80 Dyes, an exploration of natural dyes for fabric and fiber, with a current focus on creating and manipulating yellows produced by native flowers, nuts, barks, minerals and waste products.
About Us and Natural Dye
Who?
What?
What?
Janet Day, the owner and artist behind Around the World in 80 Dyes. A life-long quilter and textile artist, daughter of painters, curious kid from the hippie era with a fascination for color and its creation.
What?
What?
What?
An adventure in creating color from natural dye sources, including using kitchen waste, yard waste, weeds, flowers, barks and dirts to sustainably create dyes. Through experimentation and travel, I'll record it all on the blog and through new projects.
Why?
What?
Why?
After years of smashing flowers into textiles and staining my fingernails in pots of dye, it's time to share my discoveries and disasters more widely so others can join the adventure in natural dyes around the world.
Quilted Textile Art: Bits of This and That
Naturally dyed fabrics with 1940s quilt blocks and vintage hand-embroidery. Dye sources include indigo, walnut, avocado pits, achiote seeds and iron. Hand quilted.
Naturally dyed and printed fabrics with 1940s quilt blocks and vintage hand-embroidery and a vintage red calico border. Hand quilted.
Naturally dyed and printed fabrics with 1960s-70s quilt blocks, vintage hand-embroidery and hand-painted fabric. All dyed fabric colors come from coreopsis flowers. Hand quilted.
Strips of naturally dyed and printed fabrics. Color sources include cochineal, indigo, walnut, logwood, pecan hulls, iron and a variety of flowers. The border fabric is printed with oak leaves. Hand quilted.
Textile Art From Salvaged Pieces of the Past
Center star piece from the 1940s surrounded by a variety of naturally dyed or printed fabrics. Hand quilted.
Center square rescued from a tattered vintage cross-stitched tablecloth. Star quilt fabrics dyed with avocado pits. Yellow border fabric dyed with marigold flowers. Hand quilted.
Center star in tan and coral calico print from the 1940s. Pink borders dyed with madder root, cochineal and avocado pits. Large tan star points dyed with walnut hulls. Hand quilted.
Four orphan vintage quilt blocks from the 1940s to 1990s. Darker brown fabric was dyed with walnuts; lighter brown with pecan hulls. Blue from indigo. Hand quilted.
Just for Fun - Dyed Fabric Foods
Linguini with Meatballs
Linguini with Meatballs
Linguini with Meatballs
Pass the grated parmesan! The red sauce was created from pomegranate tannin and madder root. Linguni: A thin pom rind exhaust bath. Meatballs: Pom tannin with iron.
Lunch is Served
Linguini with Meatballs
Linguini with Meatballs
Grilled cheese sandwich with a couple pickle slices, salty chips and a cupcake. All food was created using fabrics dyed as part of The Yellow Project, except the fluffy frosting, which is shredded undyed quilt batting.
Taco Time!
Linguini with Meatballs
Taco Time!
A nice crispy taco shell filled with shredded beef, cheese and lettuce. All item use fabrics dyed as part of The Yellow Project.
Order Up!
Toast with Butter
Taco Time!
.Bacon, sunny side up egg and a pile of hash browns. Even the dark browns and pink come from yellow-producing dye sources after manipulating pH and additives to shift the colors
Toast with Butter
Toast with Butter
Toast with Butter
Someone took a bite out of the toast. Colors come from marigold with a thrifted commercial ribbon 'crust.'
For the Big Eater
Toast with Butter
Toast with Butter
Fluffy cheese omelette made of silk with sausage links, half a grapefruit, latte and a stack of pancakes with butter melting on top.
For Cereal Lovers
For Cereal Lovers
For Cereal Lovers
A bowl of cornflakes that won't get soggy in the 'milk.' Cereal made with marigoid-dyed fabric and pinking shears.
Commissions, Private Collections
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
All of the colors in this quilt were made using dye sources from Argentina: Fustic bark, Quebracho bark, Pomegranate rind and Onion skins.
Western North Carolina Meadow - In the Wildacres Retreat Collection
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
All of the prints and dyes in this quilt were collected on the grounds of Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, N.C. Makes use of natural dyeing and tataki zome (flower pounding). Embellished with beading, appliqué and buttons. Hand quilted.
Salmon Fishing - In a Private Collection
Yellow Dyes of Argentina - In the Proyecto áce Studio Collection, Buenos Aires
Salmon Fishing - In a Private Collection
This piece combines naturally dyed fabric and fish skin with vintage and contemporary commercial print fabrics. Hand quilted and embellished.
Trust Rust - In a Private Home
Mountain Time - In a Private Home
Salmon Fishing - In a Private Collection
This piece combines naturally dyed fabric with rust printing. Color sources include indigo, cochineal, achiote and avocado pit with iron. Hand quilted.
Mountain Time - In a Private Home
Mountain Time - In a Private Home
Mountain Time - In a Private Home
This mountain scene was made entirely of fabrics dyed with sources found in the Rocky Mountains.
EVENTS, EXHIBITS, SHOWS
current and upcoming
2026
January - April One of my naturally dyed quilted pieces will be displayed in the Colorado Springs Airport inaugural gallery show, Window Seat: View from the Stratosphere.
Aug. 29 - Sept. 13 Artist in Residence at Can Silvestre in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, to create dyes and pigments from native natural sources.
Check back for more information and details about travels, arts fairs, fiber festivals, gallery shows and other events.
PAST EXHIBITS, SHOWS and RESIDENCIES:
2025 Proyecto 'Ace artist residency in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to continue The Yellow Project work using native yellow-producing dyes of Argentina, including Fustic and Quebracho. https://www.proyectoace.org/artistas/janet-day/
2025 Artist in Residence at Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina, USA
Dharma Trading Company featured artist
https://www.dharmatrading.com/Featured-Artist-Janet-Day
Around the World in 80 Dyes naturally dyed textile art has been exhibited at the following galleries:
Old Walls Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Lab on Santa Fe experimental art gallery, Denver, Colorado
Liminal Space Gallery, Pueblo, Colorado
Paquette Gallery, Steam Plant Event Center, Salida, Colorado
PACE arts center, Parker, Colorado
SOURCES, PARTNERSHIPS, SUPPORT
Color Sources
Fabric, Fiber Sources
Avocado pits provided by Stir Coffee & Cocktails, North Wahsatch Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO
Flowers provided by garden centers in Colorado Springs, CO, friends and neighbors.
Fabric, Fiber Sources
Fabric, Fiber Sources
Thrifted and up-cycled fabrics, fibers and linens from Who Gives a Scrap, Arcturus Drive, Colorado Springs, CO
Graphics and Design
Graphics and Design
Logo, graphics and design by James Rosanio, Blue Claw Graphics & Design, Medford, New Jersey.