University of Colorado, Boulder, 2022
Dance performance
Design direction by Xaalan Dolence
I draped and patterned these dresses, but the real challenge was dyeing them. The fabric for the contrast yoke was a ribbed stretch fabric, which took the dye very differently than the main fabric. I had to make wildly different dye formulas to match the two different fabrics. The ribbed fabric also dried to a much lighter shade than when it was wet, which made it challenging to evaluate its final color while it was in process.
Each dress has a contrast yoke in ribbed knit fabric, and the body of the dress in a silkier knit. The two fabrics had to be dyed to match each other.
The colors ranged from purple to blue to gray.
University of Colorado, Boulder, 2022
Dance performance
Design concept by Araya Morris
These white mesh pants were purchased, and then tie-dyed in different colors. I started with a nude base, and then bolder tie-dye colors were added. I came up with a process, and recorded it on video it so student employees and practicum students could complete the project.
The first attempt at dyeing the white pants nude was not successful. I dyed them one at a time in a large pot, and the tan/yellow dye exhausted more quickly than the pink. I wanted them to be the same color as the top left, but they became pinker and lighter with each one.
I redyed each pair of pants, tweaking the formula for each one, until they were all a similar shade of nude.
The elastic waistbands were resistant to dye, so they had to be painted with a very concentrated mix of dye, and heat set with a hair dryer. They washed out to a soft nude color.
To tie-dye the pants, I twisted a small area, and secured it by tying a rubber band around several times.
The twisted part was then dipped in concentrated dye, or dabbed with a sponge. This was then repeated all over the pants.
The first batch was heat set with just a hair dryer, and the dye washed out to a soft effect. The tie-dye was repeated, and then heat set with a stovetop steamer, to produce a more vivid effect.
Home project, Spring 2021
I needed a Renaissance outfit for an event at my child’s school, and I had a day to make it happen. I decided to make a double hennin (sometimes called a divided hennin), but it needed to be done quickly. I made a pattern with a little trial and error, and was able to machine stitch everything. The body was made from a lightweight buckram, flatlined together with a linen-texture fabric.
Christine de Pisan, details of a miniature from the Moral Proverbs, France, C. 1410.
