Botanical Dying Workshop

In this class you will learn two different methods of dyeing with locally foraged and household kitchen ingredients (with food scraps used from Roots!). 

Each participant will be provided two antique handkerchiefs that will be scored and soaked with mordant prior to the class for best results with the dye process. With the skills you have acquired from this workshop you will have a stocked tool belt to be able to dye your textiles / clothes at home!

One method is creating a dye pot with a few different local plants, and learning which plants, mushrooms, barks, roots, nuts, seeds, flowers, leaves, and household vegetables you can use to dye fabrics. This method is most similar to a “tie dye” method where you can fold and submerge your entire fabric in a color that will dye the fabric.

The other method is bundle dying, where you can arrange a variety of different flowers and leaves in a pattern and wrap the bundle and see the individual shapes and patterns on the fabric post soak.

Both of these techniques have been used for thousands of years by people all around the world before synthetic dyes became popular. The hues and shapes created by these natural dyes reflect the environment we live in and link us back to our ancestral way of crafting.

And no, “dying” is not a typo, along with being a botanical and fungal whisperer, instructor Kaitlyn Cronin is also a Death Doula. She will weave themes of transformation and transition throughout the class to create a multifaceted learning experience.

$40