The shop will be closed Aug.9-19
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.
Chaos Quilts: A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of 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.
Discarded and Dyed: Quilts 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 with sprinkles for dessert.
Fluffy Frosting
Linguini with Meatballs
Hot Off the Griddle
All food was created using fabrics dyed as part of The Yellow Project, except the fluffy frosting, which is shredded undyed quilt batting. The sprinkles are the real thing.
Hot Off the Griddle
Hot Off the Griddle
Hot Off the Griddle
Just like its high-calorie counterpart, this cheese sandwich was browned on a griddle before served.
Taco Time!
Hot Off the Griddle
Guac and Beans
A nice crispy taco shell filled with shredded beef, cheese and lettuce. All item use fabrics dyed as part of The Yellow Project.
Guac and Beans
Hot Off the Griddle
Guac and Beans
Side dishes of black beans with a sprinkling of queso and a chunky guacamole with chopped onions and tomato.
Order Up!
Toast with Butter
Toast with Butter
.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
For the Big Eater
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
High Fiber Breakfast for Two
For the Big Eater
A bowl of cornflakes that won't get soggy in the 'milk.' Cereal made with marigoid-dyed fabric and pinking shears.
High Fiber Breakfast for Two
High Fiber Breakfast for Two
High Fiber Breakfast for Two
All breakfast foods are made with fabrics dyed or printed in the Yellow Project. Sources include coreopsis, marigold, rabbitbrush, pomegranate rinds and fustic.
EVENTS, EXHIBITS, SHOWS
current and upcoming
2025
August 11-17 Artist in Residence at Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, to study the effects of a wet environment and humid forest climate on dye intensity and color from yellow-producing flowers.
October 4 Farm to Fashion Fair by Mountain and Plains Fibershed, Golden, Colorado, showcasing fiber products handmade around Colorado. 15220 West Sixth Ave., Suite A, Golden, Colorado.
November 14-28 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.
2026
September 19-October 3 Essere Artist residency in Tuscany, Italy, to continue The Yellow Project work, develop new projects and promote the art of natural dyes.
Check back for more information and details about travels, arts fairs, fiber festivals, gallery shows and other events for the rest of 2025 and into next year.
PAST EXHIBITS
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.