For thousands of years, long before the development of synthetic dyes, the natural world was our only source of colour. From vibrant reds extracted from plant roots to rich blacks produced from woodland materials, people developed a remarkable understanding of how to extract, prepare and use natural colour. Much of this traditional knowledge has since been forgotten, but natural dye specialist Olivia Powell has spent the last five years rekindling these skills and sharing them with others.
This Natural Dyeing Day Course offers an opportunity to step back in time and explore these traditional techniques in the setting in which natural dyes would have originally been discovered and developed. Working alongside Olivia from Suspended in Sunbeam, you will spend the day in our woodland on the Haddon Estate in Derbyshire, exploring the natural materials around you and discovering how they can be transformed into colour.
The workshop combines practical instruction, woodland foraging and creative experimentation. A Woodland Ways instructor will also be present throughout the day, providing additional knowledge of the plants and natural resources found in the woodland.
Through three main techniques – creating a dye bath, printing with natural dyes and making natural inks – you will produce your own collection of naturally coloured items to take home. No previous experience is required, just an interest in traditional crafts, natural materials and exploring your own creativity.
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For thousands of years, long before the development of synthetic dyes, the natural world was our only source of colour. From vibrant reds extracted from plant roots to rich blacks produced from woodland materials, people developed a remarkable understanding of how to extract, prepare and use natural colour. Much of this traditional knowledge has since been forgotten, but natural dye specialist Olivia Powell has spent the last five years rekindling these skills and sharing them with others.
This Natural Dyeing Day Course offers an opportunity to step back in time and explore these traditional techniques in the setting in which natural dyes would have originally been discovered and developed. Working alongside Olivia from Suspended in Sunbeam, you will spend the day in our woodland on the Haddon Estate in Derbyshire, exploring the natural materials around you and discovering how they can be transformed into colour.
The workshop combines practical instruction, woodland foraging and creative experimentation. A Woodland Ways instructor will also be present throughout the day, providing additional knowledge of the plants and natural resources found in the woodland.
Through three main techniques – creating a dye bath, printing with natural dyes and making natural inks – you will produce your own collection of naturally coloured items to take home. No previous experience is required, just an interest in traditional crafts, natural materials and exploring your own creativity.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Natural Dyeing Day Course
Discover natural dyeing with this hands-on woodland workshop, using plants and natural materials.
Arrival and Woodland Setting
The workshop takes place in our private woodland on the Haddon Estate in Derbyshire, providing a natural setting for exploring the traditional relationship between plants and colour.
There will be opportunities to step away from the workshop activities and explore the surrounding woodland on foraging walks. These will provide the chance to gather and identify suitable dyeing materials, with Olivia explaining their potential uses and a Woodland Ways instructor sharing additional knowledge of the plants and their place within the natural environment.
Rather than simply working with prepared materials, you will be actively involved in gathering and preparing some of the resources used during the workshop. This connection between the woodland and the finished pieces is an important part of the experience.
Introduction to Natural Dyeing
Olivia will begin by introducing the principles and basic processes involved in natural dyeing, exploring how colour can be extracted from plants and other natural materials.
You will have the opportunity to explore Olivia's extensive collection of natural dye samples and books, providing inspiration for the day's creative activities and demonstrating the remarkable range of colours that can be achieved using natural resources.
The introduction will provide the foundation for the practical sessions, helping you understand the different approaches to extracting and applying colour and how natural materials can produce different results.
Foraging for Natural Dye Materials
An important part of the day will involve exploring the woodland to gather and identify suitable materials for natural dyeing.
Accompanied by Olivia and a Woodland Ways instructor, you will discover some of the plants and natural resources that can be used to produce colour. This is an opportunity to look at the woodland from a different perspective, recognising that plants have uses beyond those that might initially be apparent.
The foraging walks will also help connect the practical dyeing techniques with the environment in which the materials are found, giving you a greater appreciation of the natural resources available around you.
Creating a Natural Dye bath
One of the three main techniques explored during the workshop will be the creation of a natural dye bath.
You will discover how gathered plant materials can be used to extract colour and how these natural dyes can be applied to textiles. Through this process, you will create a naturally dyed pair of woollen socks, using plants gathered from the local woodland.
This practical session provides an opportunity to work directly with natural colour, exploring how the materials collected can be transformed into something both useful and individual.
Printing with Natural Dyes
The second technique will explore printing with natural dyes, using a different approach to applying colour and creating patterns.
You will work on a foraging bag, which will first be painted with a special chemical paste before being dyed using tannin-rich plants. The interaction between the materials creates the opportunity to explore how different substances can influence the resulting colours and patterns.
The finished bag will provide a practical item to take home, as well as an example of how natural dyeing techniques can be used to create decorative effects.
Making Natural Inks and Painting
The final technique will introduce the use of natural inks and their application in artwork.
Using natural dye materials and exploring the chemical changes involved in the dyeing process, you will create a selection of ink paintings. This offers another way to experiment with natural colour, moving beyond textiles and exploring how the same principles can be applied to creative artwork.
The resulting paintings will form the third part of your collection of naturally coloured pieces to take home.
About Olivia Powell
Under her brand Suspended in Sunbeam, Olivia runs her own natural dye studio, producing a limited selection of goods hand-dyed using wild and cultivated colours, alongside her teaching practice.
A Derbyshire-based natural dye specialist, Olivia has spent the last five years developing her knowledge and sharing the traditional craft of natural dyeing. Her teaching takes her across the UK, working with a range of organisations including the National Trust, Nottingham Trent University and Derby Museums, as well as festivals such as Greenbelt and Handmade in Britain.
Through collaborations with festivals, floral studios, museums and schools, Olivia uses natural dyeing to encourage a greater connection with the natural world. Her work helps bring back the skills of our ancestors while changing the way we look at our hedgerows, woodlands and untamed gardens – recognising them as valuable natural resources with a wealth of creative possibilities.
In Summary
The Natural Dyeing Day Course offers a fascinating introduction to the traditional craft of extracting and working with colour from the natural world. Combining three practical dyeing techniques with woodland foraging and creative experimentation, the day provides an opportunity to develop new skills while gaining a different appreciation of the plants and natural materials around us.
Working alongside natural dye specialist Olivia Powell, with additional foraging knowledge from a Woodland Ways instructor, you will be fully involved in gathering materials, preparing dyes and creating your own pieces.
You will leave with a pair of naturally dyed woollen socks, a decorated foraging bag and a selection of natural ink paintings, along with the knowledge and inspiration to begin exploring the world of natural dyeing for yourself.
