7 minute read
Making it Your Own
Who, What, Wear Making it Your Own Tie-dye makes for creative freedom
BY TATE RAUB PHOTOS BY KALI KNUDSON ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZOE GEISS Tie-dying is the technique of strategically tying, folding, and twisting a piece of cloth and applying fabric dye so that when untied, various colored shapes and patterns appear. The history of tie-dying goes as far back as the 5th century but became more popular during the counterculture movement of the 1960s and ‘70s. In the 21st century, however, tie-dying has been experiencing a revival in fashion beyond the tie-dye T-shirts people made in art class. Dating from 500 A.D. to 810 A.D., the earliest surviving examples of tie-dye are from the pre-Columbian era in Peru, with the patterns consisting of lines, small circles, and bright colors such as green, blue, red, and yellow. In 1909, Charles E. Pellow, a professor at Columbia University, showed students a piece of tie-dyed muslin and both explained and showed how the technique worked. The practice gained popularity in the 1920s and remained in the United States throughout the Great Depression because it was a cheap way to decorate homes and clothing. Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia are among the stars credited with further popularizing tie-dye in the ’60s. The ‘80s saw tie-dye incorporated into high-fashion designers clothing. In the 21st century, fabric dyes have become more affordable and accessible, causing the customization of any and all fabric garments to become much more common. Andrea Wei, the owner of Cool Tie Dye in Worthington, Ohio, has been creating and selling tie-dye products for almost 30 years. While in college at Ohio State University, a friend asked her to help create some tie-dye shirts for a fundraiser. She picked the hobby back up as a young, single mom and has not stopped since. “My first home computer search was how to make a tie-dye,” said Wei. “I did the research that I could to learn much about it, but back then there were not a whole lot of tie-dye
books… I got a bunch of books on different dyeing techniques, so then I kind of meshed different things together, different techniques together and came up with my own style.”
Wei considers Cool Tie Dye to be a pop-up shop because she and her family typically only open the shop for a few hours to meet customers for size exchanges and order pickups. Wei and her family’s time is largely spent dying their products. Cool Tie Dye is
also a part of the Ohio State Crafter Licensing Program, which allows them to use OSU trademarks and logos on their products. Most Cool Tie Dye products are sold at craft shows, fairs, festivals, and big events around Columbus, Ohio. Kim Desfosses spearheads Grandma Kim’s Tie Dyes in Hilliard, Ohio. Similar to Wei, Desfosses found a love for tie-dye on a whim. For her 50th birthday, Desfosses wanted to
have a tie-dye themed party, and she learned how to tie-dye so that everyone who came to the party could take home a tie-dyed shirt as a party favor. Desfosses and her family run Grandma Kim’s Tie Dyes, mostly utilizing Facebook to announce craft show appearances or pop-up locations. They sell the usual products like T-shirts, dresses, and hats, but Desfosses explained that her favorite product is her 2X and up sized tees. She said that because she personally has a hard time finding shirts that fit her that she actually likes, she takes extra pride in
being able to make them for others. Naturally, they are Grandma Kim’s Tie Dyes’ bestsellers. While tie-dying’s popularity varies over time, it never disappears completely, repeatedly coming back in waves. There is something appealing about a tie-dyed shirt made with friends at a craft night or purchased from a local business. No, tie-dye is not a highfashion style of clothing but is somehow timeless.
Student Spotlight: Cat Gavin
Environmental & Plant Biology
BY CARMEN SZUKAITIS PHOTOS BY AMIR PHILLIPS
CAT GAVIN, A SOPHOMORE STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANT BIOLOGY, HAS A DEEP PASSION FOR EXPLORING THE FIELD THROUGH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE.
Plants are a vital part of many of the Earth’s environments, providing food for humans and animals and supplying the oxygen we breathe. Ohio University offers four majors for undergraduates in the environmental and plant biology department: applied plant biology, environmental and plant biology, environmental science and sustainability, and field ecology. Students can explore their majors with handson experience in research labs and classes. Rebecca Snell, who has a doctorate in forestry, is an associate professor in the department of environmental and plant biology. She teaches various plant biology courses at OU and has a research lab where students work alongside her. “I do have a research lab and have both undergraduate and graduate students working with me,” said Snell in an email. “My research is about understanding how forests will respond to climate change by focusing on the relationships between weather and seed production, seed dispersal and seedling establishment.” Cat Gavin, a sophomore studying environment and plant biology, works with Snell in her research lab. Gavin said Snell impacted her greatly by bringing her into a hands-on space to work with plants. “So my advisor is Dr. Snell, and she works with masting and oak trees, mostly in her lab, which I’m working on this semester,” said Gavin. “Once a month, we go out and collect seeds from these traps in two different areas, two different parks. And we log those, like what type of seed they are, a corn or hickory region. And then, we weigh them, and we use that data. Dr. Snell is using that data to report masting, which is just one tree [that produces] a lot of seeds in one year [at] the same time across the forest.” Snell said working with students is one of her favorite parts of her job. Snell’s work with students enables new research thoughts, questions, and ideas. “It is great to be able to provide field experience for students, as the work they do in my lab is their first real field experience that they have had,” said Snell in an email. “I would not be able to maintain the long-term seed collection study without them.” Gavin has also gained experience through the Ohio Flora class instructed by Harvey Ballard, who has a doctorate in botany and is a professor and internships coordinator in the department of molecular cellular biology. “[Ohio Flora] was really cool to experience that hands-on also because we go out each twice a week into the field like the forest somewhere and really learn plants, like, hands-on,” said Gavin. Students who take Ohio Flora learn the identifications of vascular plants of Ohio,
mainly southeastern Ohio, in vegetative and reproductive condition, according to the environmental and plant biology undergraduate course offerings. Before Gavin came to OU, there was always an interest in plants from growing up in outdoor spaces. Through the pursuit of their degree, Gavin hopes to be granted more career options with a STEM major. “I always just liked plants and nature in general,” said Gavin “I grew up in outdoor spaces, and that was where I felt most like at home and stuff. And I thought that this major would have all my different passions in my life. I thought that this specific major would bring me the most opportunity just being a STEM major.” Hand-on experience in the field of environmental and plant biology thoroughly changed Gavin’s
perception of her major. “It’s kind of given me more hope and incited my passion in it because sometimes with taking classes that are so by the book and a lot just sitting in the classroom and lecture,” said Gavin. “It kind of weighs down on you a lot, especially with a major like this where you’re learning about nature, but you’re not really in it.”
