YES, I WANT TO LEARN NATURAL DYEING!
regardless of your location or setup
Cultivate a fulfilling natural dye practice with confidence and ease
Discover the five foundational steps that will enable you to understand the process and confidently put it into practice time and time again to achieve natural colours that will stand the test of time.
Imagine how your unique wardrobe would look like. Or your very own sustainable knits or quilts or any other kind of textile craft you’re passionate about. Imagine developing a deeper understanding of the plants around you and getting to know them not just by name, but as friends.
How would that change the way you relate to the environment around you? Would you feel more at home, more grounded wherever you are?
How would that change the way you relate to the environment around you? Would you feel more at home, more grounded wherever you are?
What would it feel like to confidently and easily transform any textile into a colourful piece of botanical art, with the help of plants or kitchen scraps?
Natural dyes are Living Colours and –just like every living thing on Earth– they change over time. However, if you follow the process and care properly for your naturally dyed garments, their colours will last for many years to come! And don’t worry, caring for naturally dyed clothes is not much different to caring for a woolly jumper.
After all my hard work, will the colours fade slowly but surely through washes?
Once you know the recipes and formulas, you don’t always need to stick to them. The important thing is to learn the rules first, before you can bend or even break them!
Do I always need to stick to the rules?
You will learn to adjust your process and set-up to fit within the space you have available, regardless if this is the tiny kitchen you share with your family or a spacious shed out the back.
Doesn't it require a lot of space?
Each of the steps in this workshop is structured in a way that will allow you to break down your dye projects into manageable chunks that can be easily completed one at a time, steadily building up until you achieve your desired result.
Isn’t natural dyeing too time-consuming?
You'll need between 2-3 hours per week to read through the course material and complete each of the steps required to dye your fibres successfully. Of course, if you want to expand your experiments and have the time to do so, you'll have plenty of potential colourful rabbit holes to go down!
What's the time commitment required?
On the first module, we'll go in-depth over each of the materials needed to successfully explore all the course techniques. You won't need them all from the start! And they're not very expensive either. I've broken down the materials list into your basic utensils (easy to find things that you would normally use for cooking), your non-negotiable ingredients, and your nice-to-haves. During each module, I'll also give you the list of supplies you'll need for that specific module.
If you're wondering where to get your dye materials, I've also included a list of worldwide vendors 😉
And finally, the materials list is also readily available in the course platform as soon as you register to the course, so you won't have to wait to start gathering them!
If you're wondering where to get your dye materials, I've also included a list of worldwide vendors 😉
And finally, the materials list is also readily available in the course platform as soon as you register to the course, so you won't have to wait to start gathering them!
What materials will I need?
During the 5 weeks of the course, you'll learn:
➻ Eco printing
➻ Basic resist dyeing (also known as shibori)
➻ Painting with natural dyes
- To wash (also called scouring) all kinds of natural fibres properly
- To pre-fix or mordant all kinds of natural fibres so the colour will firmly bind to them
- To dye solid colours using plants and kitchen scraps
- To create more complex shades by combining colours or overdyeing
- To modify the colours using minerals and pH assists to expand your colour palette
- And the following additional techniques:
➻ Eco printing
➻ Basic resist dyeing (also known as shibori)
➻ Painting with natural dyes
What techniques will we learn?
As a self-led course, you can complete all five modules at your own pace. You'll have access to the course platform and the pre-recorded videos for six months. Additionally, all course PDFs are downloadable, so you can keep them forever!
How long do I have to complete the course?
✴︎Finding Joy in Botanical Dyes✴︎ is all self-led, with weekly optional check-in calls on Zoom to answer questions and show our progress. The course is broken down into 5 modules, one per week. Each Monday morning for 5 weeks, the videos and PDFs of each module will unlock for you to watch and read at your own pace.
We'll have a Q&A and check-in call via Zoom every Monday at 6:30pm (Irish time) throughout the duration of the course, where you'll be able to ask questions and show your progress.
2 weeks after the end of the course, we'll have a final call to show and tell our experiments! All the calls will be recorded and available in the Natural Dyers and Growers Academy platform, where the course is hosted.
We'll have a Q&A and check-in call via Zoom every Monday at 6:30pm (Irish time) throughout the duration of the course, where you'll be able to ask questions and show your progress.
2 weeks after the end of the course, we'll have a final call to show and tell our experiments! All the calls will be recorded and available in the Natural Dyers and Growers Academy platform, where the course is hosted.
What time is the course?
I can't wait to guide you as we dive deep into the magical and colourful world of dyeing textiles with plants and kitchen scraps!
I’m a Mexican natural dyer and designer living in West Wicklow, Ireland. I inherited my name and a calling for textile art from my mum and grandmother. I have a background in graphic design and fine arts. In 2018 I began my experimentations and research in natural dyes. I’ve had the honour of studying with master dyers from Mexico, Ireland, the US and Japan.
My work draws inspiration from the traditional garments of Mexico, while embracing the rich heritage of Irish textiles. By working slowly and mindfully, I aim to build an intimate connection with each of our dye sources, as well as the Land where they grow.
founder of Talú
and co-founder of Fibreshed Ireland.
I'm Malú Colorín
Have we met?
The doors to this highly interactive online workshop are only open for a limited time.
22 June —
15 June —
8 June —
1 June —
25 May —
A theoretical introduction to the key concepts you need to understand and the practical aspect of scouring or washing your textiles, in preparation for the dyeing process.
The crucial step of mordanting your fibre to ensure the colour from the plants will firmly bind to it.
A deep dive into the process and best practices for dyeing with plants and kitchen scraps. We’ll also learn how to care for naturally dyed textiles.
You’ll discover colour modification techniques, which will enable you to expand your colour palette without the need for additional plants or kitchen scraps.
Additional techniques to achieve different textures and effects. You won’t be limited to solid colours only!
What you'll learn:
- Craving textile practice that will bring you closer to the Natural world, even if you live in the middle of a busy city!
- A DIY enthusiast and you want to personalise or modify the clothes already in yours or your family’s wardrobe, without using horrible chemicals that will harm you or other life on the planet
- A small artisan business owner and want to incorporate more sustainable practices into your craft to provide more value for your customers
This course is for you if you are:
The course begins on Monday 25 May and each module will unlock weekly for five weeks until you’ve learned the fundamentals of natural dyeing so you can confidently turn any cloth into a piece of botanical art that will endure washes and exposure to light.
Personalised attention with answers to all your questions through the course platform and our Live Q&A calls on Zoom.
6 month access to all course materials, including demonstration videos and live call recordings
Comprehensive handouts with notes and formulas that you can download and keep forever, so you can follow when dyeing and experimenting at home.
Access to a supportive community of peers on the same colourful journey as you!
A different perspective of the web of life around you and a deeper relationship with your local landscape.
6 month access to all course materials, including demonstration videos and live call recordings
Comprehensive handouts with notes and formulas that you can download and keep forever, so you can follow when dyeing and experimenting at home.
Access to a supportive community of peers on the same colourful journey as you!
A different perspective of the web of life around you and a deeper relationship with your local landscape.
You get:
YES, I’M READY TO START NATURAL DYEING!
— Ann Cheetham
“This was a very well thought out online introduction to Natural Dying. It was informative and helpful and clearly delivered through video, along with course materials available to download to reinforce the learning. Highly recommend this if you're interested in learning to dye with Natural materials.”
— Frances Fogarty
“Malú is a master of her craft and her knowledge is so far and wide matched by her experience. Cannot recommend Malú enough if you want to learn about natural dyes.”
Don’t just take my word for it!
this is what some of my students have to say:
Not only that, but also getting to proudly wear the textiles you’ve transformed or making something beautiful with them.
I want you to experience the same sense of fulfilment and awe that comes with pulling a textile out of the pot and witnessing the colour transformation occurring before your eyes.
I simply adore bringing colours to textiles with the help of plants and I’ve been helping other creatives and sustainability lovers understand and fall in love with the process for 4 years.