Introduction To Natural Dyes
Online Course
Introducing you to approaches to natural dyeing textiles to create a variety of colours. Specialising in effective plant based mordants (fixatives) for vibrant colours. We will look at fabric, fabric preparations, dye plants, extraction processes, and dye processes through written recipes and video tutorials.
Starting with fabric preparation processes: scouring, oiling, and plant based mordants. Working mostly with protein fibres and plant based mordants (fixatives), however also including recipes for working with cellulose fibres and using mineral mordants.
Extracting colour from dye plants, adding fibres to dye baths and then working with modifiers to expand your colour spectrum. Creating and working with a fructose indigo dye vat. Using the vat to create blues, and over-dyeing for greens, purples, and browns.
How This Course Works:
You will immediately get access to the learning resources. All content is made available via my website. You can access this indefinitely and whenever suits you so you can go about the course at your own pace.
Pre- recorded video tutorials and learning resources will take you through the processes step by step. You can join an online forum via slack for all participants of this course to share experiences, photos, results, and questions.
Watch the pre-recorded video tutorials and read through the learning resources including recipes, plant lists, equipment list and links, reading list on my website.
Gather the equipment and materials you would like to try out. Have a go! Try out some ink and paint making processes, make some drawings and sample cards. Test the effects of modifiers and fixatives on the different inks and paints.
Share your questions, work, and reflections on Slack so that we can all hear your story as well and offer something back.
I have had people all around the world including Australia, Argentina, Iceland, the US, Canada, India, and Europe join this course. My specialism is in the wild plants where I live in the UK, and dye plants I can grow here. However I teach generic recipes that you can use to explore the plants where you live.
Access to materials: The recipes can be used with locally available plants and materials, such as food waste, common wild plants, household ingredients, and scrap metal. There will also be recipes that will call for specialist plants you would have to grow or order from a supplier. Old rusty nails, or pieces of copper pipe or wire, salt and vinegar are useful for making fixatives and modifiers. They are not essential but will expand your colour spectrum. There are a variety of binders you can use, some can be commonly found in the kitchen, while others are more specialist and would need to be ordered online. Household ingredients such as vinegar, salt, bicarbonate of soda, honey, eggs, and lemon juice are useful. I send out an equipment list with links to more specialist materials you can buy online. Some of the recipes require nothing but the plants that are growing around you, other recipes require specialist ingredients that are available to buy online.
