Natural Dyeing
Weekend Workshop
Learn how to create beautiful natural dyes, stains and inks for use with textiles and in the home
Join us for a two day immersion in natural dyes, inks and stains. Learn the ancient skill of sourcing colour in the wild, and how to process natural materials to add beautiful organic tones to your textiles and other home projects.
Want to gift this skill to someone? Vouchers available here
On this course, you’ll learn:
As well as sharing all the beginner’s basic natural dyeing techniques, we will cover optimal fabric preparation and mordants, how to extract dyes from plants, how to make wood stains, inks, and pigments from leftover dye baths, how to test colour sources for lightfastness, how to alter colours and create designs using post-mordants and resists. We will also learn how to forage responsibly in nature.
What will I leave with?
Leave with the knowledge, confidence and skills to start or continue your natural dye journey at home. You will also leave with a hand dyed bandana or tea towel, your own wood stain, a jar of ink and a recipe booklet to take your learning further.
What’s included?
The course fee of €300 fees cover tuition, the use of tools and materials, and two wholesome and nutritious daily meals each day curated by our on-site chef, as well as tea, coffee and cake when it is most needed. *There is mandatory site safety gear required to participate in this course, please see below.
What should I bring?
Participants should bring heat-tolerant rubber gloves, comfortable walking shoes, water-proof clothing in case of rain, gardening gloves, and small secateurs or a foraging knife. Optionally, you may bring a notebook and pencil for notes (though there will be a handout with notes) and stories or folklore about plants in Ireland.
Additional Information
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We will provide you with a loan of a hi-visibility vest for use when on-site. For your own safety, no loose-fitting clothing or shorts are permitted, and you should wear long sleeves.
The following safety gear is required and mandatory to participate in the course:
Steel toe-capped boots. No trainers, shoes or wellies will be allowed on site due to risk of injury.
Protective gloves*
Safety glasses*
Knee pads are also useful and will provide greater comfort. You may already have many of these items or want to pick them up yourself. These items are available in our optional Masonry Site & Safety Kit. This is available to purchase as an add on to your course ticket.
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For more information about booking a course, accommodation options, and preparing for your course at Common Knowledge, see our FAQs page.
Staying at The Common Knowledge Centre
We now have a range of accommodation options on site to suit all budgets and needs. You can view available accommodation on our booking page.
Instructing this course
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Malú Colorín
Malú is a Wicklow-based designer and natural dyer from Mexico. She is CEO of design label Talu Earth and is a founding member of Fibreshed Ireland. In 2018 she began her experimentations and research into natural dyes. She has studied with master dyers in Mexico, Ireland, the US and Japan.
Follow Malú on Instagram