By Federica Crocetta

The natural environment, human settlements, life forms and work procedures, the popular culture of Montefeltro, represent a stimulating “educational workshop”, full of various elements and instruments which can intrigue entirely and in a brand new way the "students-tourists" thanks to an original educational programme.

This workshop draws inspiration from the art of the dyers who settled in Montefeltro and kept using the old dyeing technique up to the present day, employing natural colouring agents such as woad (Isatis Tintoria), which is easily found in nature.

This workshop is directed to all those people who want to learn the simple country crafts, developing their environmental knowledge through a “reading” of its naturalistic, historical and cultural facets.
The purpose of this workshop is to spread the old production techniques of natural dyeing and their use in textile printing, thanks to some experimental procedures.

The workshop activity is set out in 15 hours.

FRIDAY
Arrival, accommodation and acquaintance.
Theoretical lesson: a bit of history in order to understand the territory, its customs and traditions, with the help of some slides.
Walk for gathering plants and preparation of the colouring bath.
Dinner.

SATURDAY
The colouring bath is ready. The dyeing process is carried out. This lesson will deal with the various fabric-knotting techniques which are used in order to create two-coloured patterns.
Lunch.

While the fabric is being dyed, stamps are prepared (xylography lesson), textile printing with various colours, experiments and comparisons with fabrics of different types (cotton, wool, silk, linen).
Visit to a local vegetal dyeing workshop which still uses traditional production and manufacturing techniques.
Comparison between these two types of product.
Dinner.

SUNDAY
Dyed fabrics are washed and left to air-dry; knots are untied. The product is finished.
Departure.

Participants shall be at leas 8 and 16 at most.

….15 hours of lesson
….2 overnight stays in double room + breakfast
….1 Friday dinner
….1 Saturday lunch
….1 Saturday dinner
…..materials (fabric + t-shirt + wool)

Long weekend total € 190,00 per person