Saturday 21 & Sunday 28 June 2025, Natural Dyeing, Online Workshop with Kathryn Davey

Saturday 21 & Sunday 28 June 2025, 14:00 - 17:00 BST (British Summer Time)

Online workshop, hosted on Zoom, by Kathryn Davey

*A Zoom link will be sent a week before the workshop*

Kathryn Davey is a natural dyer based in Dublin, Ireland. Kathryn works with pure fibres and natural plant dyes to create colour that is soothing to our senses and gentle on our earth's valuable resources. Finding inspiration in nature and the colours of her surrounding landscape, Kathryn is drawn to the tones of each passing season which is reflected in her work and the fibres she dyes. Passionate about the history, heritage and magic of the craft, Kathryn loves to share this process with others, showing how simple and satisfying it can be to work with plant dyes & bring natural colour into the textiles of our daily lives. Kathryn’s plant-dyed, natural fibre homewares and accessories are on her website here.

Outline of the workshop
In this online workshop, Kathryn will guide you through the process of natural
dyeing. From how to best prepare your fibres for dyeing, gathering plants, extracting colour and dyeing your fibres. You will have the opportunity to follow each stage of the process using dyes that you can gather from your kitchen, garden or neighbourhood and apply these to the fabric and fibre supplied in your material pack. Kathryn will gently guide you through the process of natural dyeing from undyed fibre to beautifully finished naturally dyed textiles. 

No experience is required, this workshop is for complete beginners, for those wanting to explore plant dyes and not sure where to start. For those who may have experienced challenges or anyone who has felt overwhelmed by the process. Everyone is welcome.

A materials pack will be sent to participants before the workshop. Please ensure the shipping address and phone number provided on the order are for the person attending the workshop.

Plant and animal fibre dye kit (provided)

• 2 x 50g balls of undyed Donegal wool
• 1/2 meter Irish linen
• Japanese cotton paper notebook
• Wooden spoon
• Soda Ash: 20g
• Tannin: 20g
• Alum: 50g
• Pack of pre-scoured swatches for testing

Material list (not provided)

• 1 pot for every dye (pot needs to be big enough so the fibre can move freely, can be stainless steel or aluminium)
• Access to water
• Stove or hotplate
• Sieve, strainer or muslin for straining out plant material
• Bucket for pre-soaking fibres
• 2 x containers for mordanting fibre - one for animal fibre (wool) and one for plant fibres (linen)
• Gloves
• Small container and spoon for mixing/dissolving powders
• Measuring jug
• Measuring spoon

Possible dye sources
Kitchen: Yellow or red onion skins, Avocado stones or skins or both, Turmeric, Hibiscus, Tea, Coffee, Carrot tops ( the green leafy part) or pomegranate rinds.
Garden: dandelion leaves, Marigold flowers, Chamomile flowers, Rosemary, Lavender, Mint, St. John's wort. Goldenrod, Yellow Cosmos, Hawthorn, Dahlia flowers, Dock leaves, Yarrow tops, Comfrey, and Tansy flowers. Elderberry.
Neighbourhood: Nettles, Dandelion leaves/flowers or both, Eucalyptus leaves, twigs or bark, Alder cones or twigs, Oak leaves/twigs, the bark & twigs of most fruit trees, Olive leaves/twigs, Elm bark.

It is recommended to gather at least three to five dyes.

Workshop recording
The workshop will be recorded and the recording will be shared with you after the workshop. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.

Please note: material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, and lost or undeliverable packages are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyers.

Workshop Cancellation Policy
All places reserved for workshops are non-refundable, however, if you let us know you are not able to make a workshop you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will offer a credit note.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact the events team, events@selvedge.org.