Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliot McNally.
Elliot, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been teaching fiber arts classes since 2008. I enjoy it in addition to my full-time job because it gets me into the community, and I love meeting and working with people that enjoy learning as much as I do. Most recently here in Atlanta, I have been working with The Learning Kitchen and Homestead Atlanta. Classes have been focused on food and fashion sustainability, and we use the kitchen scraps (rinds, peels, pits, and skins) to create dye for the classes.
In addition to the natural dye classes, I also teach bookbinding, weaving, knitting, and crochet. My hope is that as folx learn how much time, energy, and resources goes into the process of creating anything (especially the negative global impacts of fast fashion) they will appreciate and value the objects and creators a bit more.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am lucky to have a 9-5 to support most of my basic human needs. There have been times when I have needed extra support in my side hustle to make ends meet, and I have been lucky to be surrounded by amazing partners to make it happen. I am very critical of the gig economy and see artists and most non-traditional work undervalued because it looks like we are having fun or want to be doing it. I hope to see this start to change and see all work valued, including unpaid work like family caregivers.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
While I teach a range of fiber arts classes, I have most recently been focusing my classes on natural dyeing. These classes, offered through The Learning Kitchen, focus on learning how to get the most out of food waste to obtain a range of lightfast/washfast colors on natural fiber without acquiring any specialized equipment. Learning about the impact of chemical dyes on the environment and the communities fast fashion directly impacts while walking away with more sustainable, low impact, small batch alternatives is something I hope makes a lasting impact. Natural dyeing is fun and easy to do, so I am grateful for the opportunity to pass along everything that I have learned and hope my students do the same.
Coming up at The Learning Kitchen is a new series of dye classes called “Cocktails and Crafts.” In this series we will learn about a natural dye material that is also a foodstuff and make cocktails while we dye to gain a few more things to do and make with each item. A fan favorite has been the Dip and Dye class where we make guacamole and black bean dip, then dye kitchen towels and bandanas with the avocado pits, onion skins, and black bean soaking water before composting the scraps.
Pricing:
- Cocktails and Crafts Class – $65
- Indigo – $35
- Kitchen Sink Natural Dyeing – $65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelearningkitchenatl.com/our-workshops
- Instagram: @elliotmcnally
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