We’ll start with a visit to the museum’s Dye Garden to see woad and Japanese indigo growing and learn how these plants are cultivated. You’ll prepare different fibres – including cotton, wool, silk, and linen – for dyeing, then create samples using various vats to compare the colours produced.
Indigo dyeing is a fascinating process to watch, as fabric changes colour when it’s lifted from the vat and exposed to air.
This workshop is suitable for beginners and those with some experience who want to learn more about dyeing with indigo in a relaxed and supportive setting.
Lunch and Materials Included.
About The Artist
Fiona is a weaver and dyer with a BA from Camberwell School of Art and a postgraduate teaching degree from the London Institute for Education. She helps manage the Dye Garden at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, finding deep reward in the process – from growing dye plants to dyeing yarns and using them in her textiles.
Passionate about the unique qualities of plants and the colours they yield, Fiona aims to help others reconnect with nature through foraging and growing dye plants for creative projects. She has led natural dyeing workshops for the National Trust, the Forest School Association, and local artists and schools. Recently, she collaborated with Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings MBE on Drawn to the Light as part of Double Weave: Bourne and Allen Modernist Textiles at the museum.
part of London Textile Month with Selvedge Magazine
The Pavilion, Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA
Get ready to unlock the rainbow hidden in your hedgerow. Join expert natural dyer, knitter and joyful colour enthusiast Liz Baltesz for a vibrant, hands-on introduction to the magical world of plant-based dyeing. This six-hour workshop is perfect for beginners and curious crafters alike.
Designed as a practical, creative day, participants will work in pairs to extract colour from natural materials – including fresh and dried plants, as well as high-quality dye extracts – and use them to dye six mini skeins of soft, mordanted super-wash merino yarn (20g each), which you’ll take home at the end of the day. The dye materials will include madder, weld, logwood, onion skins, Saxon Blue, tansy, walnut, dock leaves and other seasonal surprises.
Throughout the day, you’ll be guided through the complete process – from preparing yarn, understanding mordanting options, to safely handling dye materials and making colour from plants. You’ll also explore extending your palette using modifiers, exhaust baths, and over-dyeing. You’ll learn how to finish your dyed yarn properly, keep dye records, and get inspired to continue at home. Liz will also share valuable resources, recipes for the dyes used in the session, and the story of how her natural dyeing journey began – and evolved into a passionate practice of foraging, experimenting and teaching.
All materials provided, and all skill levels are welcome. You’ll leave with not only a bundle of beautifully hand-dyed skeins but also the knowledge, confidence, and inspiration to start your own natural dye adventures.
Please note: This workshop uses protein fibres.
Kathryn Tomasetti runs regular small group eco-printing and natural dyeing workshops from her Cockpit Arts studio in Bloomsbury, London. With just four to six participants, we learn all about eco-printing, or using flowers and leaves to print directly onto fabric. This sustainable process imprints the vegetation’s natural colours, shapes, patterns and forms onto textiles. We also dip into natural dyes, fabric prep and how to dye your own yarns. All the plant materials we use have been organically grown in Kathryn’s garden, or have been foraged locally (and of course, responsibly). There are always plenty of take-home goodies too, from silk handkerchiefs and cotton bandanas to sample scraps and small skeins of yarn. No previous knowledge or experience is needed.
3-hour workshops from £80pp. Kathryn is the winner of the Cockpit Dyers Award 2024/25. For more information about Kathryn, her naturally dyed handwovens and her workshops, head to www.botanicalweaves.com
