Online on-demand course
Maker & location details

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An Introduction to Natural Dyeing with Starter Kit. A self-paced online course.

Goldenrod (solidago) natural dye plant

Staghorn sumac and oak galls

Madder root with dyed wool skein

Onion skins for natural dyeing

Brazilwood dye bath

How to navigate this course

Pestle and mortar with muslin cloth for straining dyestuffs

Different types of natural dye. Adjective, substantive and vat.

Weld plant on yellow weld-dyed tshirt.

Different types of fibre. Animal (protein) fibre. Plant (cellulose) fibre.

Madder steeping in the dye bath.

Colourfast testing on naturally dyed fabric swatches

Different types of natural dye and naturally dyed linen. Adjective, substantive and vat.

Wild weld in the English countryside

A spectrum of naturally dyed cotton fabric and wool skeins.

Description

Discover the alchemy and magic of extracting colour from plants ?✨ This self-paced, online course will give you all the information and knowledge you need to become a confident natural dyer, and you can do all of this from the comfort of your own home. So what are you getting? - 15 different sections (pdf's, most of which are supported by instructional videos), from sourcing materials and equipment, through to preparing your materials and dyeing. - Lifetime access to the course and all future updates. - A tutor with 30 years teaching experience who is passionate about sharing her love of natural dyeing through teaching. We're so excited to be building this creative community and can't wait to see your experiments! Once you have purchased the course, your enrolment details to access the course, and invitation to our Facebook dyeing and weaving community, will be sent to the email you provided at the checkout within 24 hours. This course is available with a natural dyeing starter kit which includes sufficient ingredients to dye approximately 200g of fibre, either animal (protein) fibre or plant (cellulose) fibre. In the kit you will find: - 100g Weld - 100g Madder - 50g Alum - 50g Soda Ash - 50g Gallnut Powder - 50g Cream of Tartar - 25g Iron - pH indicator Papers This starter kit is designed to be used with the detailed video and PDF instructions in the course. All the ingredients should be handled with caution, and you are advised to: - Wear gloves, goggles, and a mask - Work in a well-ventilated space - Keep lids on pans Course Contents: 1 A Brief History of Natural Dyeing 2 Equipment Health & Safety 3 Different Types of Fibre 4 Different Types of Dye 5 Preparing Animal Fibre 6 Preparing Plant Fibre 7 Dyeing Essentials - Before we begin 8 Dyeing Animal Fibre – Madder 9 Dyeing Plant Fibre – Weld 10 Indigo - The King of Dyes - Preparing an Indigo Vat - Dyeing with indigo - A Glance at Shibori 11 Plant Dyes (kitchen, foraged, garden, shop bought) 12 Extending the Colour Range - Modifying - Overdyeing & Mixing Dyes 13 Colourfast Testing 14 Terminology 15 Resources Q&A's When does the course start and finish? The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish. How long do I have access to the course? How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own. Do I need any experience to start the course? None whatsoever! This course is suitable for complete beginners. You will be guided through all the fundamentals, from sourcing equipment and materials before moving on to preparing your fibres and dyeing, giving you all the knowledge you need to set you in good stead for taking your dyeing further. How long is the course? The course is made up of fifteen different sections. How long it takes to complete will really vary between individuals and what you're planning on dyeing. The process of natural dyeing is slow. There's a lot of preparation to complete before any dyeing takes place. With that in mind, we'd recommend not setting yourself targets and to just enjoy the process. As a very vague guideline, if you wanted to dye a t-shirt the whole process from start to finish would take around two days, but do bear in mind that much of that time is allocated to the t-shirt being soaked for hours in the cleaning and then dyeing processes. The course has been designed so that you can either work your way through from beginning to end (we recommend this method if you've done no natural dyeing before), or you can wade straight into any section that is of specific interest and refer back to the relevant tutorials for more information. Does the course have live sessions? No. The entire course is pre-recorded video tutorials so you can play them back as many times as you need. All the tutorials are supported with clear step by step downloadable pdf instructions. What equipment do I need to start the course? You will find a full list of materials and equipment in the 'Equipment' section and a list of our recommended suppliers in the 'Resources' section. Is the course available with a dyeing starter kit? We're currently working on putting a dyeing starter kit together which will be available in October. The course provides you with a full list of equipment, materials and suppliers.

What's included in the price?

This is an online, self-paced course, designed so you can refer back to it time and time again. On enrolment you will gain lifetime access to the course and be invited to join our Facebook community of dyers and weavers.

What you will need

Equipment needed to get started: Pots, bowls, tongs, long-handled stirrer, measuring spoons, sieve, muslin, scales, measuring jug, timer, thermometer, hob, pestle and mortar, pH papers, digital pH reader, gloves, mask, goggles, apron. You will also need a few materials and dyes, all of which are listed in the 'Equipment' and 'Resources' sections of the course.

Duration

Maker

Elka

with Craft Courses since 2018

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ELKA is a weaving and natural dye studio based in Hampshire. Ellie spent a large part of her childhood living abroad and travelling. The vibrant markets of the Middle and Far East triggered her passion for colour, texture and pattern and this influence is expressed through her textiles. She completed both her BA in Textile Design, specialising in woven textiles, and MA in Design for Textile Futures at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, graduating in 2006. After graduating, she moved back to Winchester to set up her weaving business which she has been running full time since 2015. In 2018 Claudia (Ellie's mum) started working with the business to produce naturally dyed yarns for Ellie to weave with, and to sell on our website. If you are too far afield to join us on an in-person workshop, we have a growing range of online self-paced courses which have been designed to get you confidently weaving and natural dyeing from you home.

Suitable for

Adults
Seniors
Teenagers
Father's Day
Corporate days out & team building
Mother's Day
School holiday workshops & activities
Romantic
Engagement, birthdays & anniversaries
Suitable for beginners
Christmas
Stag dos
Easter
Hen dos

What does this mean?

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FAQs

None at all! This course is suitable for complete beginners, and those with little experience who are looking for a refresher.

This course is taught online

Price:

£144.00

Postage:

£4.20

Quantity:

98 items left

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Reviews

All maker's reviews

28 Oct 24'

Gwen reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"Spent an interesting, informative and exciting six hours with Claudia and the other participants on Saturday, learning about natural dyeing. Came away totally inspired and eager to try. "

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for the lovely review Gwen. It was a pleasure to meet you and I'm so glad you enjoyed the day!"

20 Oct 24'

Steve Brookes reviewed: Introduction to Botanical Inks and Paints

"The recent workshop I attended—making inks & pigments—was amazing! I signed up as I thought it sounded interesting. Wow! It was FAR more than that! Claudia is a fantastic teacher and the day was nothing short of magical. My background is in horticulture and science. The course tapped into all my interests and then some! Either just a small number of participants, you get a chance to ask as many questions as you want and Claudia’s knowledge is brilliant. We made inks in the morning and pigments for oil & watercolour paints in the afternoon. We left enthused and enlightened and with little pots of handmade paints! We have just moved into our new house in Wales and now have plans to start foraging for and growing plants to make pigments. We can't wait! I can’t recommend the course enough. It will show you the wonder of plants & minerals and just what incredible uses they can have. "

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely and detailed review Steve, it is hugely appreciated! We're so gad that you enjoyed the workshop and will really look forward to following your journey with natural dyes in Wales :) X"

15 Oct 24'

Nicola reviewed: Introduction to Botanical Inks and Paints

"I attended this day course in September and it was an absolute joy. The host was so friendly, professional and what she doesn't know about making inks and dyes from botanicals isn't worth knowing. It was actually really relaxing too, nothing was rushed, which was great and the class size is small and intimate so you can ask as many questions as you like without feeling you're holding things up. The colours were magnificent, making oil and watercolour paint, although the process from start to finish would have taken over 24hrs, there was lots of stuff already prepared, yet we were still shown each step and talked it over. We were supplied wit booklet full of all the step by step notes was perfect so I feel comfortable doing it at home. Although I was reassured I could email questions at any time. Equipment was very professional quality and clean too It was fun, we had some laughs, it was just magical. I can not recommend highly enough. Well worth the long drive!"

Elka responded:

"Thank you for leaving such a wonderful review Nicola! We're so glad you loved the workshop and it's great to hear that you feel confident to start making natural paints at home. Thank you for travelling such a long way to join us :) X"

6 Oct 24'

Stephanie Lester reviewed: Introduction to Botanical Inks and Paints

"I loved the introduction to natural inks and paints course. Firstly the setting was perfect and Claudia is a very welcoming and knowlegable host and teacher. The course numbers are limited so you get very personal tuition. We made ink, oil paint and watercolour and we took samples away with us. I feel so inspired to equally grow plants and forage in our new home. I want to have jars of pigment on my shelf which represent my local area. I was the only one on the course that currently paints, so this course is not just for artists, it really is for anyone who is interested in their surroundings and how to naturally create inks, paints and pigments. Congratulations on such a wonderful course."

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely and detailed review Stephanie (and to Steve for his posts on social media), it is hugely appreciated and so valuable to us, especially in these early days of introducing a new workshop. It was a pleasure to meet you, we’re delighted that you enjoyed the day and will really look forward to following progress with your new adventure! We’ve been busy saving seeds from our dye garden this year so do let us know if you’d like any and we can pop them in the post. Best wishes, Ellie & Claudia "

13 Jul 24'

Alex S reviewed: Introduction to Botanical Inks and Paints

"In recent years I've become increasingly aware of the chemicals in my conventional paints, and have been curious about learning how to make my own natural inks and paints. This workshop covered everything I wanted to learn and much more, from the equipment needed and sourcing the plants and minerals, through to the various different processes for creating inks, water colour and oil paints. I have to say that making oil paints from pigments was my favourite process, deeply satisfying! I'm amazed at the vibrancy and range of colours we produced in one day and would highly recommend this workshop to anyone with an interest in painting, colour or natural art materials. It is clear that Claudia has a background in teaching, the day was meticulously planned yet relaxed and friendly and we had a very useful handout of information to take home with us, along with all our colour experiments. I can't wait to start foraging for colour and can feel my artwork heading in a new direction. Thank you Claudia for a wonderful day!"

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely, detailed review Alex, it is hugely appreciated. I'm delighted that you got so much out of the workshop, it was a pleasure to meet you, and to see you paining with the natural colours. I'm looking forward to seeing your new work! Very best wishes, Claudia."

8 Jul 24'

Nicola reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"A really informative introduction to natural dyeing, I learnt a lot and really enjoyed my day! The venue was lovely and we had endless cups of tea. A bonus was having a mini booklet to take home, a mini shibori dyed bag (that we dyed ourselves) and dye samples."

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review Nicola. We're delighted that you enjoyed the day and feel that you've learnt a lot! "

1 Jul 24'

Helen T reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"The workshop was wonderful, Claudia was a great teacher and we were gently immersed into the world of natural dyeing. I learnt so much and feel I have now gained confidence to experiment at home with Natural dyeing . Totally recommend this workshop 😊"

Elka responded:

"Thank you so much for the lovely review Helen. We’re really glad you enjoyed the workshop, and that you feel confident to start experimenting at home 😊"

15 Apr 24'

Wendy reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"Really wonderful day. It was extremely informative and also extremely practical and made simple to understand so that by the time I left I felt I could confidently embark on using natural dyes at home. The tutor was so warm, kind and friendly and the Workshop was held in a beautiful location. There was also only a small group which meant the tuition felt personal. Thank you so much..I recommend 100% ( and 5 stars ) "

Elka responded:

"Hi Wendy, thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the day and you feel confident to get started at home. Very best wishes, Claudia."

26 Feb 24'

Niamh Macleod reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"This course has given me a great understanding of the possibilities of natural dyeing. We covered a lot of ground with the time we had and I left feeling inspired. Not only does Claudia give you materials/ notes to bring back with you but she also gives you resources to guide you if you want to learn more. She answered all of our many questions and provided a relaxed environment for us to learn in. I would 100% recommend this course to anyone who feels curious about the topic. "

5 Nov 23'

Cherry Goddard reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"A lovely day and well organised. I learnt so much about the process of dyeing with hands on experience and information handouts to take home. Claudia is a wonderful teacher with vast knowledge and I would recommend the course to anyone wishing to start natural dyeing."

29 Oct 23'

Vicki reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"A lovely day in a beautiful environment which was informative and fun , taking away any uncertainty I had about natural dying. Claudia is a natural teacher with vast knowledge and I would totally recommend "

2 Oct 23'

Shelley Powell reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It was very well organised with lots of hands on experience. I learnt so much and took home lots of samples for reference. We also had handouts with all the information in them which is great for looking back on as I know I would forget some of it. Claudia is a wonderful teacher with a vast knowledge of natural dyeing and really helps you to understand the process. I recommend this course for anyone, you will love it."

31 Aug 23'

Pennie Dunn reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"This was an incredibly inspiring course and extremely well run by Claudia. Everything was available to try and we even came home with samples of our work, which I had not expected! I would definitely recommend this course for anyone interested in natural dyeing methods and very accessible for complete novices. We also came away with handouts to refer to later. Wonderful, thank you so much!"

5 Jul 23'

Caroline reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"What a wonderful day. I really enjoyed all aspects of the day and now feel I understand the processes involved. Claudia explained everything clearly and in detail. Being able to get fully involved in a practical way and follow the whole process through was amazing. I am now looking round my garden & wondering what is out there to have a go with.....I have plenty of fluff to play with! I would highly recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in this fascinating subject."

Elka responded:

"Thank you for coming Carol, and for the lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the day. Very best wishes, Claudia."

4 Jul 23'

Kim reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"I really enjoyed this workshop. The day went far too quickly. It was such a relaxed and fun atmosphere right from the start with a mix of practical, chat, handouts as reminders once home and loads of inspiration. Claudia was an excellent teacher and I have come home determined to give it a go as she has given me the confidence to do so. Thank you so much😊"

Elka responded:

"I'm so glad you enjoyed the day Kim! Thank you coming, and for the lovely review 😊"

3 Jul 23'

Ursula reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing, Mere, Wiltshire

"Thank you Claudia for an amazing, informative day. You explained everything so clearly to us and it was so exciting to see what emerged from our saucepans and then to dip an assortment of different items into our dyes - wow! It was great to bring home a sample of each of our colours as well as clear information to guide us when we venture into natural dyeing. I enjoyed meeting the other ‘dyers’ too and hearing about why they had chosen to attend this course. I highly recommend this course!!! "

Elka responded:

"Thank you for coming Ursula, and for your lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the day and hope that you continue to enjoy your natural dyeing journey!"