Dyes of Our Lives Tutorial Combines Chemistry, Craftwork

Fabrics and dyes have been woven into human societies for millennia, and a group of first-year Grinnellians is exploring the art and science of dye making.

The Dyes of Our Lives course is one of more than 30 First-Year Tutorial options for students starting their Grinnell journey this semester. As in all Tutorial courses, Dyes of Our Lives allows students to dive into a topic of interest, make new connections, and hone their analytical and critical thinking skills.

“Along with fiber arts and dyes, we’re learning about human history and culture through that lens,” said Molly MacInnes, assistant professor of chemistry, of the course.

Now, the students are taking inspiration from that history and combining it with the scientific method.

“The students separated into small groups and each chose a source of natural dye to work with,” MacInnes said. “They’ve had to figure out ways to extract and test their dyes on different fabrics.”

Student Maurice Sherrod ’30, whose group is using mashed elderberries as their dye source, said Dyes of Our Lives has been among the highlights of his first semester at Grinnell.

“It’s not like any other class experience I’ve ever had. There’s so much freedom to express my own ideas and opinions,” he said. “Being able to do that in a lab setting is really unique, and it makes me excited to come to class.”

Sherrod said his group has been testing the effects of acidity on the dye’s hue and colorfastness, and he looks forward to sharing the group’s findings at the end of the semester.

At another lab station, Vi Shelley ’30 and her group decided to see how lilac flowers performed as a dye source.

“We’re seeing how the lilac flowers dye our wool, linen, cotton, and silk fibers, and then comparing what saltwater and alum do to the dye,” she said. “Our first try with the lilac dye didn’t work very well, so now we’re tripling the amount of dye — we’ll see how it works.”

Shelley said she’s enjoying the overall experience and is happy she chose to take Dyes of Our Lives.

“I love this Tutorial, I’ve been having a great time,” she said.

MacInnes said that sense of fun and curiosity, paired with scientific practice, is an essential part of her students’ First-Year Tutorial experience.

“[The students] have done the research and now they’re enjoying the hands-on, experimental learning,” MacInnes said. “I think it’s always good for students to apply their learning with a lot of agency, and they get to do that in this class.”

The Grinnell College First-Year Tutorial allows incoming students to dive into a topic that sparks their creativity. In each of the 30+ faculty-designed First-Year Tutorial course options, students hone their analytical and critical reading, writing, and speaking skills.