Leah Defoort
BIO
Leah is a Winnipeg-born textile designer and maker who approaches her work with an abundance of thought and care. She specializes in surface design and screen printing with natural dyes, particularly from local plants which she gathers sustainably from her neighbourhood. Leah is inspired by small details in her surroundings, which she notices through the intentional act of looking closely. This practice informs her interest in the relationship between the natural world and the built environment. Leah's previous Environmental Design education from the University of Manitoba formed the foundation that supports her continued learning.
CAPSTONE PROJECT
GATHER
Oakville Plants on Textiles is a pair of botanical patterned fabrics screen-printed with plant-derived dyes inspired by my walking commute in Oakville, Ontario. Plants that grow on the fringes of my route offered a visual escape from the road construction that disrupted my walk for three years between 2019-2021. I hand-printed the fabrics with natural dyes extracted from plants that I gathered from my neighbourhood during the summer and autumn of 2021.
Alongside the fabrics, I developed 12 Plant Dye Research Cards with dye samples of each locally harvested plant on various fabrics, along with technical information about the process. This is intended as a resource for me, and other textile designers interested in regional natural dyes. My project focuses on using local materials as central to a sustainable textile-making practice.
FEATURED Work
Title: Plant Dye Research
Dimensions: 30 x 45 cm ea.
Year: 2022
Materials: Dyes extracted from 12 plants on hemp-linen, cotton, silk, and wool fabrics; Cricut Maker used to cut cardstock
Title: Screen Printing Fabric
Dimensions: Process
Year: 2022
Materials: Screen printing natural dyes on fabric
Title: Fabric (detail)
Dimensions: 150 x 200 cm
Year: 2022
Materials: Silk satin organza screen printed with natural dyes
Title: Plant Dye Swatches
Dimensions: 12 x 12 cm
Year: 2022
Materials: Various fabrics immersion dyed with plant-derived dyes
Title: Fabric and Dye Research Cards
Dimensions: 150 x 200 cm
Year: 2022
Materials: Silk satin organza screen printed with natural dyes
Title: Plant Dye Swatches (detail)
Dimensions: various
Year: 2022
Materials: Various fabrics immersion dyed with plant-derived dyes
Title: Plant Dyed Fabrics (detail)
Dimensions: various
Year: 2022
Materials: Hemp-linen fabrics immersion dyed with plant-derived dyes
Title: Plant Dye Research Cards
Dimensions: 30 x 45 cm ea.
Year: 2022
Materials: Fabric swatches immersion dyed with plant-derived dyes on cardstock