all about community dye days

Are you curious about the colors available from the plant world around us but not quite ready to turn your kitchen into a dye lab? Want to connect with other natural dye nerds and plant enthusiasts? Join us for a Community dye day!

Community dye days are informal monthly gatherings to both learn and share knowledge about working with natural dyes. Each gathering is themed around different colors, materials, modifications, or processes (see calendar for dates and themes)*.

These gatherings are for learning, experimentation, and connection. We provide pre-treated (please see note about mordanting) sample fabric for you to experiment with. If you have the experience, you can bring a small pre-mordanted item (smaller than a pillow case). While we’d love to talk through and support your exciting dye ideas and project dreams, this isn’t the place to bring lots of fabric yardage or to over-dye your duvet cover. It is the place, however, to talk through and trouble shoot with other dye enthusiats, share things you’ve been working on, thinking about, or your dye journal!

NOTE ABOUT MORDANTING:

A mordant is a mineral salt that fiber is soaked in prior to dyeing in order for the color to stick to the fabric. Without mordanting, the color will wash out. Different types of fibers require different mordanting techniques. If you are unfamiliar with mordanting, we’ll have resources available so you can mordant your own material at home to bring to the next dye day.

If you’d like to read up about mordanting on your own, here are some good online resources:

Maiwa (natural dye supplies and online educational resource)) has a lot of free online instructions and overviews of natural dye processes as well as paid in-depth online classes

Botanical Colors (natural dye supplies and online resource) includes table of what types of mordants to use with different fiber types as well as detailed instructions.

Scouring:in addition to mordanting, fibers take mordant and dye better when they are properly cleaned in advance. Souring is a method of removing any oils, sizing, waxes or other anything else that may be on your fiber (especially if it’s purchased new)

See Botanical Colors very good instructions on how to scour

Other useful info:

Natural dyes work only with natural fibers and the color responds differently based on the fabric content. Cellulose fibers are plant-based: Cotton, Linen, hemp etc. and Protein fibers are from animals: Wool and silk. Cellulose and Protein fibers require different pre-treatments (mordanting and scouring techniques)

Upcoming dye days summer and fall 2026:

all 11am - 1pm, arrive by 11:30 to get stuff in the dye bath

Sunday Aug 9th
Exploring yellows

Sunday Sep 20th
Bundle dyeing

Sunday Oct 18th
Fall colors

Sunday Nov 8th
Mushrooms + Tannins

*Themes are subject to change based upon available material and volunteers