Textile Artisan Amanda Affleck Dazzles Members with her Creations

Textile artist Amanda Affleck

In one of the most interesting programs the club has hosted in many months, textile artist Amanda Affleck from Sommerville, Maine, presented a fascinating talk on how she “conjures” natural dyes from common flowering plants! Amanda, of Armenian heritage, credits her great grandfather for fostering her interest in textiles. He was a weaver of lovely rugs which Amanda studied about in family journals. She and her husband live on a farm where they raise many flowers and plants which are known to produce vivid colors when they are harvested, often dried, and then soaked (and often boiled) with a particular combination of chemicals. Amanda has been experimenting with creating natural dyes for thirteen years. During that time she has also taken up weaving in order to use the distinctive skills she has learned over the years with her natural dyes. During her presentation she showed slides of examples of her work, including a beautiful photo showing the blue woven shawl she made for her wedding five years ago! She also brought along samples of her work and passed them amongst the large audience who showed up for her presentation. In her spare time in the summer, she conducts classes for children and adults who learn about the process of creating dyes.