Hand dyed one of a kind garments are rare. Few companies use human hands to create wearable art because it's hard, time consuming and expensive. It's a lot easier to feed a bunch of garments through a machine and have them all come out exactly alike, but that is exactly the opposite of what the Michigan made company Brightly Twisted does. Every garment that they make is hand dyed by one of their artists and nothing that they make ever looks exactly alike.
The company was started by Greg and Tammy Bourque 21 years ago. Greg, a former school teacher taught himself the art of hand dying and took it to the next level. Together they created their own way to take some basic dying techniques to the next level to create what can only be described as wearable art. Today, they ship their wares all over the world and sell their one of a kind art in their warehouse in Farmington as well as at local fests and events throughout the year. They even have some of their stuff in high end stores like Nordstrom! They have come a long way from where they started 21 years ago. Now, they want to take it to the next level and share their knowledge and skills with others. The local dye house has began to host dying classes where curious wannabe artists like myself can come into their space and learn how they make these one of a kind pieces.
Greg and Tammy co-host a class where attendees learn three of their dying techniques and then get to practice them. First, we learned how to create their of their signature patterns and then we practiced making that pattern on a small square of fabric that will be used to create a quilt. The company makes a variety of wearable items and blankets throughout the year and donated them to local charities to brighten up the day. Then, we each got to pick one of their signature items to dye for ourselves. This round we were offered the choice of dying a shirt, a tapestry, or a cross body bag. Finally, we were given a reusable bag to dye. When we were finished creating our art we set it down to marinate until the next morning with the promise that they would ship it to our home when it was finished.
The class was really fun and educational. We brought a bottle of wine with us and enjoyed some healthy snacks while we listened and learned. Then we got to have some fun and get a little dirty while we made our own pieces. We recommend taking a friend and trying this for yourself! Their classes will take place every Thursday night and they will vary month to month. You can come in April and learn one thing and come back in May and learn something else! Each class costs $75 a person and includes dying three garments, two of which you will get to take home and wear/use. Plus, they offer some special sales in the warehouse each class that you can take advantage of if you want to leave with some wearable art that night.
To learn more about Brightly Twisted's classes click here. We cannot recommend them enough! Screw painting with a twist. We say untwist that dye bottle and learn a one of a kind skill directly from the creators!
~S
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