Fresh Leaf Indigo Dyeing Workshop

Dancing Bear Farm

Experience the magic of dyeing with fresh Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) leaves straight from the garden!

379 Jarvis Hill Rd

Events & Workshops for Adults

Workshops and events geared towards adults. See individual workshop descriptions for age restrictions.

Homesteading & Farming Workshops

Classes to help you get started with your homesteading journey and to build on your farming, gardening, and wildcrafting skill set

Experience the magic of dyeing with fresh Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) leaves straight from the garden! While the world of natural dyeing can be quite complex, this method of dyeing is simple and accessible for crafters interested in learning a quick indigo application and gardeners hoping to grow Japanese indigo at home. Students will learn how to achieve a range of green-blue shades from fresh leaves on protein fibers, as well as other traditional methods of extracting color from indigo-bearing plants. We will discuss fabric preparation, the chemistry behind the aqua blues attained, and strategies to preserve these unique hues. We will experiment with various methods of application such as fresh leaf pounding (hapazome) and creating resist patterns with clamps and ties. Everyone will leave with 2 silk bandanas and a wool yarn sample.$75 workshop registration$10 materials cost paid day ofAges 16+ Berkley Heath is a natural dyer and printmaker fascinated by the sources and history of art materials. With a formal education and work background in ecological design and organic agriculture, she began growing dye plants nearly ten years ago and since then has cultivated a dye garden every year, processing the plants throughout the season into dyes, pigments, and inks to use in her work. Her work is grounded in these seasonal processes at her home in rural New Hampshire: spending time seeding, tending to plants, harvesting and making art materials as well as studying and experimenting with traditional surface design techniques with natural dyes on cloth. Natural dyeing is an incredible confluence of so many of her interests, from plant biology and organic chemistry, to design and ethnobotany, and she feels passionate about sharing this craft with others. She teaches workshops at craft schools and farms across New England, including Snow Farm in Williamsburg, MA and Sanborn Mills Farm in Sanbornton, NH. She believes that physical interaction with the landscape facilitates a sense of place, wellbeing, and stewardship of our natural world.<a href="https://www.berkleysierra.com/" title="https://www.berkleysierra.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.berkleysierra.com/</a> Refund policy: a refund is available up to 7 days before the start of this event. Please note that eventbrite does not refund ticket fees (~7% of the ticket price).Instead of the refund minus eventbrite fees we can offer a credit equal to your ticket price towards any other class or event at Dancing Bear Farm.