Mushroom dyeing is a passion, combining the best of both worlds: fibre arts and fungi.

Ann Harmer ( Shroomworks, Garden Bay, BC) has found the perfect fusion of her love of fibre and her never-ending interest in the world of fungi: exploring the colour potential found in mushrooms. The rainforest surrounding her home on BC’s Sunshine Coast is a mushroom paradise, and she spends many hours in the woods every fall in search of the dye fungi. Once mushroom season is finished, she can be found in her cottage studio in the forest, ever in awe of the rich, earthy colours that come out of the dye pots. Ann uses wool dyed with mushroom colours to spin interesting yarns—yet another chance to handle and play with these forest hues.

While researching dye mushrooms, Ann learned of the International Fungi & Fibre Symposium, an event held somewhere different in the world every two years. She has attended each such gathering since 2008, learning from others who share her passion. She brought the 2016 Symposium to her home village of Madeira Park and was the principal coordinator of the event.

Ann has taught mushroom-dyeing workshops at Maiwa School of Textiles in Vancouver, at the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op in Toronto, and to fibre-arts groups in a number ofcommunities in British Columbia. She is active in the Sunshine Coast Spinners & Weavers Guild and the Sunshine Coast Fibreshed.

Now Ann eagerly awaits every mushroom season and spends most fall days exploring her backyard forest with her dog, searching out the next fungal treasure.