Fashion & Textiles: Explore Natural Dye

This course gives you hands-on experience of natural, sustainable textile dye and design, with the theme of connecting to nature through sustainable practise.  From your initial inspiration drawing and mark making, to naturally dyeing items and applying your designs, you’ll experience each stage of the sustainable textile dye and design process. The invitation to work with ‘nature as teacher’ offers a meaningful, biophilic learning experience.

Creating your designs

Framed by an insight into traditional Japanese natural dyeing, this course begins in our natural dye garden (weather allowing). You will be guided to work directly with plants and trees to create designs, using a variety of contemporary and traditional mark making and drawing methods.

You will also have the opportunity to get inspired by our Textiles & Dress Collection, a reference collection of textiles that includes lace from the mid seventeenth century and dress and accessories from the early 1800s to the present day.

Exploring natural dye methods

Moving to our professional-standard Textile Design studio, you will select dye plants to colour your fabrics as a base for printing. You will be guided through the natural dyeing process, learning how to prepare, dye and modify nature’s palette of colours on cloth. 

You will choose either a sustainable linen apron or pair of cushion covers, made from high quality sustainable linen, which you will naturally dye to become the ‘canvas’ for your designs. 

Applying your designs

This stage invites exploration and play as you transform and translate your marks and drawings through a guided series of design development processes.  

You'll apply your designs, developed from your mark making and drawings, to your naturally dyed item through a series of innovative printing techniques using natural dyes as printing ink. Alongside this, you'll have the opportunity to further explore techniques on pieces of cloth and create a natural dyeing workbook resource.

The journey ends with a private view of your work with the other course participants. You will have a chance to display and discuss your work before you take it home. 

Throughout the week each guided activity will offer the opportunity for connecting, collaborating, and reflecting, to ensure that your time spent with us is both meaningful and memorable.

This is an outline of what to expect for the week.  Each day will include lunch, with time to socialise with your fellow students.

Day 1

The course will start in our fabulous Fashion & Textiles facilities with an intro and talk about Japanese natural dyeing processes, providing context & theme for the week ahead. We’ll then go to our walled garden (weather allowing) for a tour and the first day’s drawing activity, using traditional and homemade drawing tools to document natural forms in the gardens – these initial designs will become the basis for your naturally dyed and printed item. 

Day 2

You’ll continue your design work today by constructing drawing machines in the local environs generating nature-driven mark making, pattern, and textures. After reviewing your drawings and their potential as a starting point for your designs onto cloth, you’ll have an introduction to natural dyeing in our dye lab and you’ll select your favoured plant colour. Today will also include your print area technical introduction. 

Day 3

You’ll be focused on natural dye today, with plenty of chance to experiment and play before dyeing your chosen item. You’ll also look at starting to turn your marks and drawings into designs in our print area and experimenting with printmaking onto cloth.  

Day 4

Today will start with further printmaking tutorials and space to experiment, followed by starting work on your final printed designs, thinking about how they will work with the shape of your chosen item.  

Day 5

The final day will be spent finishing your final designs and item with plenty of guidance and support.  After resolving your work, in the late afternoon the course will conclude with a mini-exhibition / Private View of your work with the other course participants and a chance to celebrate your achievements. 

Where will the course take place?

Fashion & Textiles Institute, Penryn Campus  

Standing proud above Penryn town and just a short hop away from the vibrant community of Falmouth, Penryn Campus’ architectural innovation, outstanding facilities and industry-standard technology make it the ideal place to hone your skills. 

Our award winning gardens at Penryn Campus are open for all to enjoy. Visitors can take in the walled garden, herbaceous beds, sub-tropical planting, fruit producing orchard, Italian garden and terraces, the 18th Century lime avenue, parkland, the old drive with pinetum native woodlands and historic rare rhododendrons, cultivated on the site in the Victorian era. Ideal for de-stressing, ideas-generating and playing.

A range of car parking options are available for you if you need to bring your vehicle to Penryn Campus.

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