2025 Registration now open
PREREQUISITE: A reasonable understanding of scouring and mordanting*, or Module 1
TIMELINE:
Apr 1 2025: course launch
Dec 31 2026: access to all course materials & my support until this date
*The course may be completed per the eight week lesson schedule that commences on April 1, or at your own pace. Students have two years access to all course materials. List of lessons, equipment & supplies provided to students upon registration.
**For students who have not completed Module 1 (which covers a wide range of effective fibre preparation techniques), a list of recommended fibres will be provided, along with simple and effective scouring and mordanting instructions, or you can prepare your fibres according to your own methods in advance of the commencement of Module 2.
For all students (those who have, and those who have not, completed Module 1), instructions will be provided regarding setting some fabric/yarn aside for mordanting methods only taught in this Module, including…
a historic co-mordanting method, that is entirely plant-based
historic, more complex methods that involve repeat mordanting and dyeing
“Just brilliant.
I am a retired university professor, with an enduring passion for historic textile methods and preservation. Mel’s depth of knowledge, scholarly references, rich historical examples, her extensive personal experimentation, but also her ability to communicate it all in a highly understandable way, are second to none. I have taken workshops with many well known natural dye teachers, and Mel is the best. If you want to learn natural dyeing done right, and with a strong emphasis on ecology, then jump at the chance to study with her.”
early bird registration (prices available through december 31, 2024)…
Students with a billing address in Canada must register through this link, where the relevant Canadian provincial/territorial taxes (if any) are automatically collected and remitted to the government.
Early bird bundle (Module 1: Foundations + Module 2: Colour)
Students with a billing address outside of Canada must register through this link, where the relevant tax for the student’s jurisdiction (if any) is automatically collected and remitted.
Early bird bundle (Module 1: Foundations + Module 2: Colour)
every hue under the sun…
“Not only is it necessary that colours be beautiful to increase the commerce of cloth, but they must be of good quality so that they may last as long as the fabrics to which they are applied.” ~Jean-Baptiste Colbert, French Minister of Finance, in a letter to Louse XIV in 1671 about the need to regulate quality standards for French dye guilds.
***
There is no colour that can not be created from Nature’s gifts. Beautiful, lasting natural dye results require understanding the properties of different dye compounds, and how they behave on different fibres and under different conditions. Each dye result is always the consequence of multiple variables within the control of the knowledgeable practitioner. Great results require skill, skill comes from knowledge and practice, and knowledge and practice take effort and time.
If you are looking to engage in more structured, comprehensive learning on natural dye sources and recipes, this Module is for you.
Under expert guidance, you will follow historic and contemporary recipes to create a beautiful range of hues, learn to control the many variables of the natural dye process, and gain confidence to be both a knowledgeable custodian of ancient natural dye wisdom, and an explorer of the colour potential of your own garden and neighbourhood.
course structure…
This eight week intensive online course offers a more substantial education in natural dyeing than is taught in many post-secondary fashion and design schools.
Each week, a new video tutorial(s) and downloadable pdf are available…
demonstrating and providing detailed instructions for that week’s natural dye exercise(s)
including relevant background reading (course material prepared by the instructor, as well as links to recommended online resources), for those who wish to delve deeper
the downloadable pdf handouts are yours to keep, and students will find this resource very helpful long after the course has finished
You will need 2- 4 hours per week, on average - i.e. to watch the tutorial(s), read the background information and instructions, and complete that week’s exercise(s). You may choose, instead, to spread out your time commitment to suit your availability.
The online platform used to teach this course, Teachable, allows for comments and image uploads by students for each lesson, which facilitates discussion of student progress, any issues, etc.
additional resources…
In addition to the weekly written instructions, background reading, and instructional video, students also receive the following.
on registration, a list of the required equipment (basic items, many of which you may already have), fabrics/fibre and natural dye supplies - the earlier you register, the more time you will have to get organized
instructions on safe and responsible foraging for the wildcraft component of this course
a list of global suppliers of fibres (undyed yarn, yardage, blanks), and natural dyes, mordants, etc.
templates for record keeping and for storing samples
a bibliography of high quality online historic and scientific resources related to natural dyeing
a list of recommended natural dye related books, and recommended blogs
and much more
what you’ll learn…
While the dominant focus will be plant-derived dyes, you will learn about the large range of natural substances that can be used for reliable natural dyeing, including lichen, algae, fungi, insect, and mineral pigments. Using the samples scoured and mordanted in Module I (or your own prepared samples, if you have not completed Module 1), we will experiment with both historic and contemporary dye sources and methods to create a large range of beautiful colours on cloth and/or yarn.
proper dye studio safety practices
natural dye sources and pigment categories
learn about classic dyes from around the world, and throughout history
gain an understanding of the different categories of pigment compounds found in Nature, which natural dye sources contain which pigment compound(s), and why it matters
understand the simple chemistry that makes some colour sources fugitive (wash and/or fade out quickly), and what those sources are
gain an understanding of the chemistry of fastness (durability of dye results on cloth), of industry standards, and conduct simple at-home tests to assess colourfastness of your dye results
dye a rainbow, using your pre-mordanted fibres, and through the introduction of further modifiers and assists, over-dyeing, and some additional historic mordant methods taught only in this course
gain control over variables in the dye process that can influence dye results, expanding the tools/techniques you can use to shift hues
assess the crucial role of water source chemistry
develop insights and tools, including proper records, to help you troubleshoot when results don’t go to plan
using contemporary recipes, together we will create…
a rich colour wheel built from a foundation of multiple sets of primary colour natural dyes
sophisticated gradations of shade from any one natural dye, and from combination dyes
your Pantone colour choice on cloth (each student will be asked to pick one colour as part of course preparation)
using historic recipes, together we will create a range of hues from several different classic dyes that are still easily available today, including…
the recipe of a 3rd century cloth dyer of Ancient Greece
colours protected for centuries by the Medieval guilds of Europe
a method historically used by indigenous peoples of the Americas
famous historic complex dyes, such as Lincoln Green, Burgundian Black, and time-consuming, gorgeous Turkey Red
reference samples used by France’s 18th century Inspector General of the Dyeing Industry
explore your regional dye palette (with plenty of suggestions from the instructor on where to start, local information sources to consult, and a video tutorial on identification techniques, safety, and ecology)
identify, harvest, and prepare dye baths from locally available dye plants (and, possibly other natural sources available to you locally)
identify and experiment with at least one historic dye source/method from your specific region
indigo
learn to create, use, and troubleshoot a properly balanced indigo vat, using only natural ingredients (3 different all-natural vat methods are taught)
madder
take a deep dive with this most famous of red dyes, and learn 6 different dye methods
learn a range of other natural dye techniques
hot and cold dye methods
low water methods
fermented dyes
solar dyeing
water insoluble dye extraction
exhaust dyeing to make the most of your dye baths, and to expand your palette
create lake pigments, inks and paints from natural dyes
scaling up - working with yardage and/or other larger quantities of fibres
learn to store, revive, replenish and, when necessary, safely dispose of your dye baths/vats
learn how to properly care for naturally dyed fibres
course results…
Over two hundred beautifully dyed samples, representing a large number of simple and complex hues, and various combinations of fibre preparation methods and dyes.
A well organized dye samples binder/book that records all of the variables that contributed to your results, so that you may reproduce them, and scale up, with confidence
Confidence in understanding and using a large range of fact-based historic and contemporary natural dye recipes, and the ability to discern false claims on the internet from good practice.
Confidence in exploring, and being a champion of, your own regional, globally unique natural dye palette.
values…
This course prioritizes your safety, ecological protection, proper technique, and respect for the amazing natural dye lineage of which we are just the latest beneficiaries.
In a world suffering from innumerable human-caused ecological catastrophes, natural dyeing is one tool for helping us to reestablish a meaningful, respectful partnership with Nature’s gifts and with our shared creative human heritage, and for aiding a global industrial transformation away from intensely polluting petrochemical-derived synthetic dyes to sustainable textile production.
