botanical alchemy for smallish spaces

This course is about colouring cloth, threads and yarn using the magic of botanical alchemy in a diminutive workspace.

I'll share methods for small-scale mess-free mordanting, advise on the best dye vessels to use (helpful if you have close neighbours with sensitive noses) and give guidance on what to look out for if you don't have a garden of your own and need to gather your dye materials from urban streets as well as my best tips to grow a renewable source of eucalyptus leaves in a pot.

We will explore ways of making the most of your kitchen discards, so that they can contribute to colour in the dyepot (or on the paintbrush) on their way to the compost.

This is a course for those seeking reconnection with ancient ways of dyeing that relate to how our foremothers cooked. Our own-made mordants will be unquantifiable and their influence is likely to vary according to the source of your local water, its quality and the treatments it has undergone on the way to your tap (let alone the history of your cloth), as well as the properties inherent in your chosen plant matter, but that's what makes this kind of botanical alchemy so exciting.

There will be slow-dyeing of threads for deep colour using preservation dye techniques as well as overnight multi-colour bundling for stitchwork, and I will share some of my favourite patterns for garments that can be easily bundled for ecoprinting.

Students enrolled in this course will also benefit by a 10% discount on materials and supplies from Maiwa Handprints (Canada), Beautiful Silks (Australia) and Whaleys Bradford (UK).