By Leslie Megill
It was my great honor to attend Mary Zicafoose's very "colorful" workshop on April 3rd and 4th this year. I've been one of her groupies since her IKAT book came out in 2020. I'm a firm believer that a workshop is only as good as the handout material provided, so this workshop is at the top of my extensive list of workshops attended over the years.
Day 1, Saturday, was an in-depth color study entitled The Spirit of Color. We were instructed to bring a sketchbook, cutting materials, ruler, gluestick, etc. (I have to say, anytime I do dyeing, I turn into a 5-year-old with a new box of Crayons. This supply list put me right in the mood.) In our handout for the day, we were given color exercises to perform.
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Then on to Day 2: Dyeing!
 This workshop was a study in dyeing protein fibers with acid dyes. Working in pairs, each pair mixed two colors of dye stock solutions. Then each pair followed recipes to mix our dyepots in which to dye the wool yarn. All yarns dyed were what Mary uses in all of her magnificent weavings.
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It was quite a trick to get all that water almost boiling and keeping it hot, but Paula put in the work to have it all running smoothly that day. The weather was on our side, too, which even allowed all the dyed yarns to be dry and caked by the end of the day.
What really made this workshop an unforgettable experience for me was Mary herself. Those of you who attended her guild program last February will agree, I’m sure, what an interesting speaker she is and a great storyteller. Interwoven throughout both days of her workshop, she was entertaining us with her background and knowledge as well as insights into her success as an artist of the highest degree.
I feel very blessed to have the good fortune to belong to this great guild of ours, and I am grateful that the scholarship program afforded me the opportunity to attend this amazing workshop.
