Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to dye yarn and fabric with plants
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Flowers, leaves, bark and roots make dye baths, and one pot can give many colours by changing the mordant or pH. Workshops from a single day to a week teach you how.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650An afternoonIndoors or outWith othersUK and US
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What you learn
The first skill is preparing the fibre so that it accepts the dye. City Lit's bundle dyeing course covers scouring and mordanting animal and plant fibres, then hot and cold bundle dyeing and colour modifiers.
The second skill is coaxing many colours from few plants. North House Folk School's introductory day shows how changing mordants, shifting pH and using afterbaths produce a range of colours from a single pot, and students go home with at least eight 25-yard (about 23-metre) skeins. At West Dean, students forage on the estate, make more than 20 dye baths on silk and build their own natural dye recipe book.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Three Saturday sessions, 10.30am to 4.30pm (October to November 2026 run); cotton, silk, linen or wool | £249 |
| West Dean College, West Sussex | Residential or non-residential short course; foraging and dyeing on silk; materials and lunch included | Fee not shown on the course page |
| North House Folk School, Grand Marais, Minnesota | One day, 9am to 5pm; introductory; tools and materials provided | $125 tuition, plus $34 materials |
| John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina | Week-long class (August 2026 run) on silk and wool, from the garden and the dye lab; all levels | $870 tuition, plus $90 materials fee |
City Lit asks you to bring up to two small pieces of natural fabric or clothing to the first class, each under 150g (about 5oz) and at least 80% cotton, silk, bamboo, wool or linen. West Dean's foraging course asks for a cloth bag or basket, secateurs (pruning shears), gardening gloves, an apron and rubber gloves.
How to start
- Book a beginners' natural dyeing workshop at an adult-education college, a craft school or a museum with a dye garden.
- Check what fibre you will dye and whether you need to bring your own small pieces of fabric or yarn.
- Bring an apron, rubber gloves and a notebook, and start a recipe book of what each plant and mordant gives you.
Where to go
- City Lit: Textiles, sustainable bundle dyeing (London) UK
- West Dean College: Wild textiles, foraging and natural dyeing (West Sussex) UK
- North House Folk School: One Pot, Many Colors (Minnesota) US
- John C. Campbell Folk School: Flower Powered Protein Dyeing (North Carolina) US
We opened these links on 11 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What is a mordant in natural dyeing?
A substance used to prepare fibre so that it accepts the dye. Courses at City Lit and West Dean teach how to mordant fabric before dyeing.
Can you get different colours from one dye plant?
Yes. North House Folk School's introductory class shows how different mordants, pH changes and afterbaths give a range of colours from a single pot.
What fabrics can you dye with natural dyes?
Natural fibres. The courses listed here dye wool, silk, cotton, linen and bamboo, and the John C. Campbell class concentrates on protein fibres such as silk and wool.
Do I need experience for a natural dyeing workshop?
No. North House's one-day class is introductory, and City Lit's bundle dyeing course is open to beginners as well as more experienced dyers.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Textiles: sustainable bundle dyeing; West Dean College, Wild textiles – foraging and natural dyeing with Sarah Burns; North House Folk School, One Pot, Many Colors; John C. Campbell Folk School, Flower Powered Protein Dyeing. Opened 11 November 2026.
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