Learn how to create beautiful natural dyes, stains and inks for use with textiles and in the home.

Who is this course for?

If you want to 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, join us for a two day immersion in natural dyes, inks and stains.

What will you 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 you take away?

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.

How is the course structured?

We start each day with breakfast at 8:30 and have lunch together at 1pm. Throughout the weekend we will be both in the classroom and out in the fields foraging for natural plants and materials to create our dyes.

What’s included?

The course fee covers 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.

*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.

Staying with us at The Common Knowledge Centre

At The Common Knowledge Centre we now have a range of accommodation options on site to suit all budgets and needs. When you stay with us, you’ll be supporting our newly established guesthouse and be close to the action. We recommend arriving the evening before your course. You can view available accommodation on our booking page.