Phoebe Benik, 8, of Keene reveals the pattern she created on cloth through a flower pounding process, using a hammer, at a workshop at Chase's Mill in Alstead Wednesday afternoon. Guests of Kristy Rhoades’ flower-pounding workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug. 14, listen as she describes what flowers work best for the practice, and how to properly treat and wash fabric used in the process.
Kristy Rhoades of Merrimack held two flower-pounding workshops at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Aug. 11 and 14, teaching guests how to transfer the image of flowers and plant leaves onto fabric and paper. This pigment-transferring practice is also known as Tataki-zome, which translates to “hammering-dye” in Japanese.
Ellen Simmons of South Acworth prepares her second flower-pounding design during a workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Ann Acheson of Alstead, co-chair of Chase’s Mill, had previously seen Rhoades wearing an apron and showcasing this natural dyeing technique and invited her to host a class at the mill for area residents who may be interested in learning more.
Rhoades, who has an IT background, described the flower-pounding workshop as a guided experimentation. She encouraged those who attended to experiment with the material they transfer onto, how they pound, how they secure their flowers and various other variables that affect the resulting image. “When you do it, everybody there is smiling.
Using the hammer is cathartic but more so you’re creating something beautiful and unexpected,” said Rhoades, who grew up near the mill in Alstead. “You aren’t going to end up with what you start out with, which I think is what a lot of the joy is. The unknown makes you eager to try more, which is why I think it’s addictive because you don’t know what to expect next.
” Maggie Cohen of Alstead selects more flowers, many of which were provided by Debbie Rhoades of Alstead, for her floral print during a flower-pounding workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Kristy Rhoades of Merrimack brought examples that demonstrate how different flowers transfer to fabric, as created during her flower-pounding workshop the previous Sunday, at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug.
14. Jenny Rhoades of Portland, Ore., shows a fabric print made by flower pounding, also known as Tataki-zome, explaining how the top and the bottom of the flower will leave differently pigmented images during her sister Kristy Rhoades’ workshop on Wednesday, Aug.
14. At left, Heidi Benik of Walpole shows her granddaughter Phoebe Benik, 8, how to place her flowers on the fabric to best transfer the image on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Chase’s Mill in Alstead.
Above, Maggie Cohen of Alstead hammers flower petals to transfer their image onto fabric. Below, Kristy Rhoades of Merrimack brought examples that demonstrate how different flowers transfer to fabric, created during her flower-pounding workshop the previous Sunday. See more photos at SentinelSource.
com . Erin Benik of Keene pounds a marigold flower between two sides of a fabric hand towel to transfer the flower’s image on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Ellen Simmons of South Acworth talks with Kristy Rhoades of Merrimack about her process during a flower-pounding workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Maggie Cohen of Alstead hammers flower petals to transfer their image onto fabric, during a flower-pounding workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug.
14. Debbie Rhoades of Alstead, on left, and Mari Schacht of Antrim pull the flower petals off their fabric hand towels after their first round of flower pounding at Kristy Rhoades’ workshop at Chase’s Mill in Alstead on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
.
