This post has been in my drafts for years. YEARS. It’s finally time to post it. I hesitate to share anything related to education and natural dyes as I still very much consider myself to be a beginner/intermediate dyer. I know very little compared to many and I never wish to steal the spotlight from educators who have put in the time and effort to teach. That said, I wish I had found a blog post like this one when I was first googling “natural dyeing.” It would have saved me from my beet root and turmeric experiments (though of course those were not failures as it taught me what color-fastness really means!) My hope is that this page will be a reference for new dyers with reputable resources, educators, and suppliers. So without further ado, let’s begin!
This post is long so I am including a table of contents here at the beginning. Click on the topic you need to jump to that section!
Natural Dye (free) Educational Websites
Natural Dye Instructors, Workshops, and Courses
Natural Dye Kits and Materials
So you think you want to learn how to naturally dye? Yay!
Choosing to be a student of art is a great thing indeed! It takes humility, patience, perseverance, and dedication to learn a new skill, and natural dyeing is no different. In our modern age, it really is unique when someone is willing to put in the time, money, and effort to properly learn something new!
Now I promise to be frank with you AND do credit to the natural dye community. This is not a “hobby” that can be picked up in an afternoon. If you wish to be a reputable dyer and achieve long-lasting, beautiful results, you will have to invest yourself. It will require time, money, space, equipment, education, books, courses, etc. I don’t say this to discourage anyone from learning something new – I say it to prepare you for the hard and rewarding work that learning this skill will take.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the subject of natural dyeing – especially on the internet, and in order to sift through the useless misinformation, you have to know what you are doing in the first place.
It is inevitable that you will need to invest in proper education.
This doesn’t necessarily mean expensive education (hello, library!) – just that you will have to put in the time to learn the basics.
The purpose of this post is to compile a list of resources that have helped me on my natural dye journey. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will be a good starting point for someone beginning this journey. I will also continue to update this resource. If you have found additional reputable sources, I hope that you will email them to me. I would love to crowdsource additional education and instructors from you!
Don’t forget to document your journey! This is an important part of learning. You can get a free download of my natural dye journal pages here if you’d like.
Start here! What is your dyeing goal?
Do you want to dye personal items?
Do you want to sell your work?
Do you want to invest a lot or a little into this art form?
The answers to these questions will help guide your journey! A talented dyer and weaver, Ania Grzeszek, created a simple flowchart full of important questions like these to help beginners know where to start! I highly recommend using it! From here, you can decide what TYPE of natural dyeing you want to pursue!
Natural Dye Books
Every natural dyer will have their favorite books. Some of these I have enjoyed using and others have come recommended by other dyers. Consider requesting them from your local library if you don’t have the desire or means to purchase them!
The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results – An incredibly thorough book with instructions, recipes, and rationals that have been thoroughly tested and proven (This is my go to book!)
Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes – A wonderful book by Jenny Dean that details countless dye sources and dye techniques
Botanical Colour at your Fingertips – A fantastic book for the beginner who wishes to use supplies found around the house for personal projects (This book was my first introduction to natural dyeing!)
The Modern Natural Dyer: A Comprehensive Guide to Dyeing Silk, Wool, Linen and Cotton at Home – A good beginner book for someone looking for specific dye projects
The Wild Dyer: A Maker’s Guide to Natural Dyes with Projects to Create and Stitch
Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes
Natural Dye Educational Websites – Free
Botanical Colors – A site filled with How To’s and endless Blog Posts about natural dyeing
Maiwa Natural Dyes – Excellent and free pdfs with reputable natural dye instructions. I’ve had them printed and bound at a local print shop for my own personal reference
The Barefoot Dyer Youtube Channel – Many instructional videos for new and intermediate dyers
Indigofest – Countless Indigo Resources Stony Creek Colors – Indigo Vat Recipes
Facebook – There are many natural dye Facebook groups out there such as…
- Natural Dye Education
- Natural Textile Dyeing
- Indigo Dye
- Indigo Pigment Extraction Methods
- Printing With Botanicals
- Natural Dyeing Circle
Instagram – Check out the accounts of the educational dyers in the chart below
Natural Dye Instructors, Workshops, and Courses
There are countless dyers and education out in the world these days. Hopefully these resources will give you a place to start your journey or discover new experts. Of course, these lists are just the tip of the iceberg. If you find others who have helped you along in your journey, I hope you’ll share them with me so that I can add them to this list. Learning to naturally dye means following in the footsteps of people throughout history. What an honor!
Natural Dye Kits and Materials
Dye Kits
Jessica Lynn (Wild Fire Water) – availability varies
Liz Spencer (Dogwood Dyer) – availability varies
Dye Stuff
Botanical Colors (US-Based)
Maiwa Natural Dyes (Canadian-Based)
The Woolery (US-Based)
Natural Dye Tools
Thrift stores, FB marketplace, box stores, and Amazon are great places to find these tools. There is no need to acquire everything at once. This is a collection you can gradually build. I have put asterisks next to the most important supplies. Just be sure to never use your dye supplies for food preparation and vice versa. Find more safety considerations here!
Heating Source* – Stovetop, induction stove, camping stove, open fire, etc.
Stainless Steel Pots*
Aluminum Pots
Strainer
Kettle
Spoons, Tongs, Utensils*
Digital Scale*
Jars and Lids
pH Strips or Probe*
Steamer*
Dehydrator
Rubber Bands
Cotton Twine
Clothespins
Clothes Line
Misc. Rags/Towels*
Natural Dye Terminology
Be sure to check out this glossary provided by Botanical Colors with regularly used natural dye vocabulary!
Natural Dye Fallacies
Anything with color will dye cloth.
Many items in the natural world will stain fabric but that does not make them colorfast. There are many tried and true dyes that have historically and scientifically been proven to have good color fastness. Find a reputable dyer and look for their dye suggestions as you are starting!
I can use natural dyes to dye any white fabric.
Natural dyes will only adhere to natural fibers. Avoid using synthetic fabrics for these dye jobs. Look for fabrics like: cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, wool, and silk.
I don’t need to scour my fabric.
Scouring removes any impurities from your cloth that might prevent the dye from adhering evenly. Unscoured fabrics run the risk of looking streaky or blotchy.
I don’t need to use a mordant.
All natural dyes (besides direct dyes like indigo) require assistance in order to create a chemical bond with the fabric. Mordants provide this bond. There are alternative prep methods like soy milk that are classified as binders rather than mordants. These aid in color-fastness but will not provide a chemical bond like a mordant will. Keep in mind, animal fibers will bind more easily without the use of a mordant than cellulose fibers.
Salt and/or vinegar are mordants.
No. They aren’t. Don’t waste your time or resources.
If I use a mordant with a fugitive dye, the color will be permanent.
Fugitive dyes will always be fugitive no matter what methods you use. Natural dye history and science is well documented and available for us to find the right dyes and methods to obtain the colors we are looking for. We are privileged to have so much knowledge available to us as dyers!
I can’t have fun with fugitive dyes/stains.
Fugitive dyes and stains can be lots of fun! Often times they are very child-friendly. As long as the dyer understands their limitations and is okay with using those resources for this purpose, they can be a fun entry into natural dyeing! Check out this watercolor project here using flood waste – a fugitive dye.
Natural dyeing is too hard and complicated to figure out.
Natural dyeing isn’t hard unless you are trying to teach yourself in a vacuum (or on google)! Begin with the resources listed above! Check out the free websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram accounts. Request dye books from the library. Then order a natural dye kit to try it for yourself! In time, when you are ready, you can begin to purchase dye stuff books, and courses. Natural dyeing is possible to learn and enjoy!
Conclusion
I am so glad that I learned how to naturally dye. So much of the joy was in the journey of learning. I wish that everyone could experience this type of joy from some sort of creative pursuit. For me, it was this craft, but for others it may be something else. Whatever it is, we will have the greatest success when we approach it as students of lifelong learning. I hope that this post will point you in the right direction as you begin your natural dye journey. Happy Dyeing!
xo – Alex
Don’t forget to document your journey! This is an important part of learning. You can get a free download of my natural dye journal pages here if you’d like.
Borrowing Color 
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