I recently had the incredible opportunity to try eco-printing, which is the process of using plants and flowers to dye fabrics, at a workshop at Lyon Arboretum. The workshop, led by "dye explorer" and artist J. Tanuki, promised a hands-on experience in turning simple silk into a unique, botanical masterpiece.
The class took place in the downstairs classroom of the Visitors Center. It was a relaxed and creative atmosphere, perfect for the group of about a dozen beginners like me. J. was assisted by her mother, Laurel, who had introduced her to eco-printing, and Liz from the Garden Club of Honolulu, who organized the event.
Workshop participants could select from a wide assortment of leaves and flowers picked from the Lyon Arboretum and the hosts’ home gardens.
(photography by Therese Padua Howe)
J. walked us through the entire process, explaining how eco-printing works. It's a natural dyeing technique where you transfer the pigments and shapes of plants directly onto fabric — in our case, a 11x60-inch silk scarf. It's a unique way to capture the beauty of your garden in wearable fashion!
To start, we selected from a variety of pre-picked leaves and flowers from Lyon Arboretum, as well as from their own personal gardens. I gravitated toward the brighter colors of hibiscus, desert rose, African tulip, blue ginger, ixora, marigold and more.
The author used a different method than other workshop participants by dipping her scarf into the iron solution, giving the fabric a sepia look, below.
After seeing J.’s sample scarves with dark purple, almost black leaves, I also picked out a plant I hadn’t heard of previously: the highly invasive Koster’s curse, also known as soap bush. I loved the colorful look of everyone’s botanical choices but J. cautioned that some might not transfer well — we’d find out in the big reveal at the end.
The process itself was a lot of fun. After dipping the flowers and leaves into an iron solution, we carefully arranged the plants on our scarves. Some opted to scatter the flora along the full length of the fabric, while others filled half of the space, then folded the scarf for a symmetrical design.
Then, following J.’s instructions, we covered the scarf in plastic wrap, rolled it tightly like sushi onto a PVC pipe, and wrapped the bundle tightly with string. After popping all of our bundles into a steamer, we had an hour to enjoy the grounds of Lyon Arboretum while waiting for the dyeing process to finish.
Once J. carefully removed the bundles from the steamer, we could unroll the scarves to see how our designs turned out.
This is where science and art intersected to reveal what worked and what didn’t: the ti leaf made little to no impression, while the Koster’s curse leaves left beautifully detailed imprints. The flowers that left the brightest colors were the deep pink desert rose (which came out purple with a light pink center) and blue ginger, as did the bright yellow pieces of turmeric dotted along the fabric.
Other notable scarves included one with a detailed impression of a large fern, and another with a red border that had been stained with the red ixtora flowers. Once all the scarves were hung, it was pretty stunning to see the variety of art made by nature's palette.
The author’s scarf
Fern impression on another scarf
If you're looking for a creative and rewarding activity, I can't recommend an eco-printing class enough. It's an amazing way to connect with nature and learn a new, sustainable hobby.
RESOURCES
Follow J. Tanuki on Instagram @tanikiheadquarters
Learn more about Lyon Arboretum
Check out other Lyon Arboretum workshops
Learn more about Garden Club of Honolulu