Melissa Stone

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Textiles 
Plants/Dyes
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During the pandemic, I constructed a few urban garden plots throughout my neighborhood to connect community through outdoor spaces and create meaningful symbols of growth. Using their harvest, I’m able to cultivate materials that are hand-spun into yarn, including plant-based fibers, dried herbs, and natural dyes. Here’s a sampling of what’s growing:

Artichoke release tannins in boiling water that dye wool-based yarns a muted green. 

The cochinea are parasites that grow on the prickly pear cactus and produce bold fuchsias, reds, and purples when dried, crushed, and steeped.

Foxglove flowers make an apple green dye bath.


Indigo creates a vibrant blue. Pairing with natural acid shifts the hue to an electric purple.
 
Kale absorbs into a pulpy base for materials to take on shades of greenish-brown.