This summer we’ve been busy with new things happening in our Dye House, and a lot of it is thanks to our summer intern, Brittany! She has been a great asset to our team since coming on board in May, and she will surely be missed as she finishes up her time with us tomorrow.
We decided we’d like to have Brittany write a little about her experience with us this summer, in her own words, so we could share it with you all! So here’s Brittany’s farewell.
The TS Designs team graciously welcomed me to their team in May as a summer intern in the dye house and I was thrilled to be offered such a wonderful opportunity. I saw a posting about this internship at the University I attend, which is NC State, and I thought this internship was perfect for me. I am currently majoring in Polymer and Color Chemistry in the College of Textiles at State and with my knowledge of dyeing and finishing, color, and various branches of chemistry, along with my experience in chemical and dyeing labs, I thought I would be a perfect fit. I am also originally from Burlington and I loved how the company was so active in the community.
In my time here as an intern, I have had many responsibilities such as updating dye procedures to account for different dye percentages, weighing goods for dyeing, weighing and mixing reactive dyes for the days production, running sample tubs, implementing safety precautions, and filming and editing training videos for future employees.
The biggest project I took on during my time at TS Designs was a natural dye project, which I managed entirely on my own. Natural dyes are derived mostly from plants and are advantageous because they are obtained from renewable resources and are biodegradable. I worked with Kathy Hattori on this project, who owns Botanical Colors in Seattle. Kathy set up a procedure for us to follow and once I ran samples I was able to make adjustments to better match the specific color we wanted. Then, I ran TS Designs first production of natural dyes and managed the packaging and shipping of the goods once they were completed.
I am so honored to have worked on this project with TS Designs and Botanical Colors and although it was stressful at times, it was all worth it in the end. I feel so accomplished and I am so proud that I was able to contribute to such an amazing company. Today, on my last day of my internship, I am so thankful to have had such an amazing opportunity to work here and will always cherish my time here, as well as the amazing friendships I developed over the summer. Thank you guys for everything!
-Brittany
We’ll miss having you around, Brittany! Best wishes to you in your future endeavors!
-The entire TS Team