Designer Spotlight Blog Post – Jenny Brown
Welcome back to our Designer Spotlight series. This week’s feature comes from Jenny Brown, a creative young designer from Wichita Kansas. Jenny is the powerhouse dyer behind the business 316 Dye Studio. She has an eye for color and design, and a passion for dyeing that we are excited to share with you.
Please note that all photos are used with Jenny's permission, and all the photos belong entirely to her.
Meet the Designer, Jenny Brown!
Tell us about yourself.
Hi. I'm Jenny Brown, the dyer behind 316 Dye Studio. I'm not much of a weaver, but I do dabble in many other fiber arts including knitting, spinning, and of course dyeing. I dye yarn and spinning fiber and eco-print, which is my current obsession. Although I do dye yarn, I've recently decided to focus more on expanding my spinning products and exploring natural dyeing.
How did you get started in your creative endeavors?
You might be surprised to find out that in a family full of women, nobody really did any fiber art. My grandmother crochets a bit, and I had an aunt that sewed a bit, but that's about it. I was first exposed to the fiber arts around 12 or 13 when one of my neighbor friend's mother cross-stitched. I thought that it seemed SO COOL and I begged my friend to teach me. I was immediately hooked! I religiously stitched until I taught myself to knit in college, took a spinning class a few years later, and then started dyeing roving for fun.
I didn't have any Local Yarn Shops close to me that sold roving. So, I thought it would be fun to dye some roving and bring it to my spinning group to sell. Those ladies were my very first customers (and still are to this day)! They encouraged me to keep dyeing. It turned into an accidental business, which has grown into a full-time business.
Because I've had the fortune of being able to pursue my passion full-time, I was able to discover more about natural dyeing. And more specifically, eco-printing which I think is just the bee's knees! If you're unfamiliar with eco-printing, in a nutshell, it's being able to transfer the image of a botanical (like a flower or leaf) to a surface like fabric or paper. Not all flowers are suitable for long-lasting prints, and the fabric needs to be pretreated to be able to accept the dye to make it lightfast and more colorfast, but the process is so cool! It's equally art and science. I immediately started a dye garden after my first time experimenting with it. And since then, I look forward to growing my dye flowers every year.
What equipment do you use?
My spinning wheel is a Schacht Matchless, and it's been my workhorse for over a decade. When I was first shopping for a wheel, I wanted one I could grow into, and it seemed to fit the bill. It's been the only wheel I've ever owned. Although secret time...I have had my eye on an Ashford e-spinner because I think it would be amazing for making art yarn, which I've gotten into wanting to make more recently.
Special tools for your craft?
I have lots of special tools in and around the dye studio that I just couldn't live without. The first one is my Nina portable spin dryer. I've had it for over a decade and it's still going strong. It spins all the excess water from my roving and yarn and speeds up the drying time. If you're someone that has a lot of handknits, I would highly recommend investing in one.
Another tool I have is a shaker siphon. It comes in super handy when I am scouring or mordanting in my giant 80-quart pots. It's long enough to reach from my pot to the sink and can empty the pots in about 5 minutes.
I also have a proofer/heat oven that I use to heat set most of what I dye, with the addition of two gas stoves for smaller batches. I can fit 24-30 pans of roving/yarn in at a time and set them all at once, which is so nice for production dyeing. The only downside is all the dishes that I must do the next day!
Favorite weave structure?
Well, as I mentioned before, I don't know a lot about weaving, but I do love how hand-dyed yarn looks when woven up! Just a plain twill can make hand-dyed yarns look so cool! A clasped weft with hand-dyed yarn is also very neat.
Favorite Lunatic Fringe Yarns product?
My customers love the EZ Spin Pima cotton sliver! The name tells you all you need to know. It drafts like a dream, and even spinners who typically spin worsted (like me) can make beautiful handspun cotton yarn. I have flipped a few cotton nay-sayers because the product is so great.
I've been having a lot of fun dyeing it up for my customers, although I must admit it's a different process than wool, so I'm not able to do large batches like with my wool quite yet.
Your inspiration? Who or what inspires you as a weaver?
Regarding my dyeing, lately my inspiration has been mother nature. As I mentioned before, I've been learning more about natural dyeing and I just find the whole aspect so fascinating. So many things provide color -- flowers, barks, leaves, and even bugs, lichens & fungi! Contrary to popular belief, you can achieve long lasting color from natural dyes if you properly pretreat your fabric, use the right materials and have the proper care for your items. You can also achieve bright and bold colors.
Just the last few years, I've wanted to know where my materials come from and how I can incorporate more sustainable practices into my business. It's a shift I'm openly accepting.
Why do you create?
Gosh, this is a tough one to answer. How do I encapsulate everything making means to me? I guess without becoming too existential, I create because I must. It's as essential to me as breathing air. Making is what feeds my soul, and I will never tire of being able to create something from scratch. It's seriously magical.
What are you up to?
Recently, the city of Wichita awarded me a $1,000 artist access grant to help advance my art skills. I was one of only 5 recipients who received the full $1,000 grant. I'll be using those funds to help assist me in paying for a 2-week intensive natural dye workshop at Penland School of Crafts this summer. The workshop is led by two prominent instructors in the field of natural dyeing, and I cannot be more excited!
I'll also be teaching a bit this summer, mostly eco-printing.
- 6/7, 6/11: Eco-Printing at my studio in Wichita, KS. We'll get to pick fresh flowers from my garden!
- 7/5: Fresh Leaf Indigo dyeing at my studio in Wichita, KS.
- 7/19-7/20: Fiber-U - Lebanon, MO
- 8/8-8/20: Flock Fiber Festival - Seattle, WA
- 9/19-9/21: DFW Fiber Fest - Irving, TX
And if you're a Local Yarn Shop or a guild and would like to host an online workshop or have me come teach a class, please reach out to me at [email protected]. I would love to discuss opportunities for your customers/members.
Anything Else?
I'm a crazy cat mom, who's not afraid to admit it! Also, I listen to and watch what some might call a "disturbing" amount of true crime.
Last Question...Cake or Pie?
Pie
Thanks Jenny!
Thank you for sharing with us! We can’t wait to see where your artistic journey takes you next!
If you would like to learn more about Jenny and 316 Dye Studio, you can find her on her website at: www.316dyestudio.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.