NATURAL DYING
Humanity has been working with plant colours in the form of dyes for at least 5000 years. Before that, there is simply no way of knowing, but we can say with a degree of certainty that the tradition of dying fabric and textiles goes back much further.
What a wonderful notion it is to be clad in the colours of plants. This is something that sadly has all but been lost with the advent of synthetic colourants rendering the need for natural colour obsolete. In these workshops we explore this slowly reviving craft, looking more closely at the relationship to plants and materials and the huge variety of colours that are possible from them.
A wondrous aspect of the world around us is that everything contains hidden colours.
By slowly coaxing out colour particles from berries, leaves, barks and all sort of other things, a vibrant array of luminous hues can be achieved.
Working with both foraged and cultivated plants, we look at how to then bind the colours to various textiles.
There are many experimental and inventive methods possible with dyeing using plants.
This includes bundle dyeing and block printing, both techniques which produce fantastic and intriguing results.
Have a look at our workshop program to find any upcoming workshops in natural dying. If not, let us know you would like to attend one and we can let you know when the next is planned.