Natural Dyeing
We began our natural dye journey nearly 10 years ago when we discovered the wonderful golden yellows & rich pinks of rhubarb as a natural plant dye for fabrics.
We love the whole sensory experience of using natural dyes and how it grounds us in the changing seasons, passing weather and wonderful flora & fauna of the South Downs in Sussex.
The ancient craft of natural dyeing is now fundamental to our practice & we were thrilled to receive funding from the Heritage Crafts to upscale our dye equipment so that we can use more local, natural, sustainable & foraged materials to make our signature sustainable fabrics.
From our workshop in Sussex we create natural fabrics that draw their inspiration from our chalky soil & water, river mud, gorgeous fruits and beautiful wild flowers.
In 2022 we were very excited to be awarded a grant from the Endangered Craft Fund & the Sussex Heritage Fund to upscale our dye equipment to become one of the first commercial natural dye houses in the UK producing sustainable fabrics for interiors.
We use local, foraged natural dyes like hawthorn, hazel & ash to create our rich palette of earthy, seasonal colours. We also try and create natural fabric that is as seasonal as possible – looking to roots like rhurbarb in the winter, fruits & nuts like walnuts & berries in the autumn, beautiful summer leaves & flowers and gorgeous spring shoots at the beginning of the year.
Natural dyeing for textiles is an ancient craft and one that constantly inspires us to evolve & develop our own sustainable fabric production: we’re excited to be working with famers & smallholders across Sussex to make the most of their natural waste – fruits, barks & leaves that can be transformed into beautiful natural cloth.
Through our seasonal foraging workshops we are constantly exploring new sources of natural plant colour for fabric dyeing – just one plant like nettles can produce a whole range of wonderful different colours through the seasons. It’s wonderful to be constantly surprised by nature’s incredible gifts!
It’s such an exciting time for textiles as we de-carbonize and start to realize what beautiful, precious resources we have around us. Please join us on our journey!
