Inspirational natural dyeing for textiles
Explore the abundance of plants that yield colour to use in natural dyeing fabric. You are introduced to fabric types and preparation, mordants, modifiers, seasonal colour, heritage dye plants and botanical extracts. Practical demonstrations offer guidance on how to create dye baths and test and document colours. Inspirational samples show the range of possibilities starting with botanical waste from your kitchen.
Ability: Beginners
The minimum time required to watch and respond to the video content and complete the tasks is 9 hours. The tutor also recommends how you can develop your work further so that you can continue to use the skills acquired on this course for future projects. Six months of online access to all of the course content.
Ability: Beginners
The minimum time required to watch and respond to the video content and complete the tasks is 9 hours. The tutor also recommends how you can develop your work further so that you can continue to use the skills acquired on this course for future projects. Six months of online access to all of the course content.
Learn more about gift vouchers.
Introduction to your tutor Zoë Burt and workshop overview
Getting started
Workshops
Completion
Getting started
- Materials and equipment
- Health and safety and mordants
Workshops
- Dyeing with kitchen botanical waste
- Dyeing with seasonal plants
- Dyeing with heritage plants
- Dyeing with botanical extracts
- Dyes you can grow and ideas going forward
Completion
- Further information and resources
Course includes:
You will need:
Equipment and tools - You may need the following items
Materials
One metre of the following washed plain white fabric:
Mordants
Kitchen waste dyes
Other
- Access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with course content
- A series of instructional videos to work through and repeat at your own pace
- Practical tasks to complete
- Helpful materials suppliers list
- Student online gallery where you can post images of your work for tutors to review and comment on
- Support from the college and tutors via email should you need it during the course
- Additional notes and ideas
You will need:
Equipment and tools - You may need the following items
- Small saucepans – a selection
- Wooden spoons and stirrers
- Jam jars
- Old metal spoons
- Micro scale, and larger scales (kitchen)
- Fabric scissors
- Access to a kitchen stove or camping cooker
- Sieve
Materials
One metre of the following washed plain white fabric:
- Cotton (can be an old bedsheet or pillow case – make sure not a polycotton) or other cellulose/plant fibres (could be linen or hemp).
- Wool, fine, or one ball of yarn – organic in preference
- Silk
Mordants
- Citrus fruit such as a lemon or clear vinegar
- Bicarbonate of soda or soda ash or soda crystals or natural chalk
- Rusty piece of iron or ferrous sulphate
Kitchen waste dyes
- Red and white onion skins, pomegranate skins, used coffee granules, avocado stones and skins etc
- Tea bags, turmeric powder, berries – fresh or frozen summer berries or mahonia or elder berries
- Botanical extracts
- Heritage dye plants
Other
- 50cm square of cotton muslin
- A beautiful notebook or folder to keep notes and fabric colour records in
- A labelling system
Have a question? Read our FAQs
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Tutor
Zoë Burt
Course content
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