Yay, it’s not long now before we have the honour of hosting expert natural dyer Zoe Burt at our Ragged Life HQ in Hertfordshire. Zoe will be running a natural dyeing workshop for us 10:00-16:00 on Saturday 14th September 2024, and personally I can’t wait to get stuck in.

However, for those of you who can’t make it or are intrigued by natural dyeing but wouldn’t know where to start, here is a Q&A to give you a flavour of the technique and beautiful photos of Zoe’s creations. 

Read our Q&A with Zoe Burt below or book a place on September’s class here. 

Q&A with Natural Dye Expert Zoe Burt

Hi Zoe, we’re running a natural dyeing workshop with you this Summer, could you tell us a bit more about that please? Some of our followers will have never heard of natural dyeing before.

Hi everyone! Dyeing textiles with plants goes way back to the Egyptians and beyond and is an exciting way to connect with nature. Synthetic dyes were discovered less than 200 hundred years ago by a young chemist named William Perkin. This discovery during the industrial revolution had a significant impact on the fashion and textile industry, but prior to that everything was dyed with plants, insects or molluscs. In the grand scheme of things it is not that long ago…..

How did you first get into it? Was it an easy technique to pick up?

I trained in Textiles at Central St Martins and worked in the Fashion industry as a textile and fashion designer for the UK highstreet. However, I felt a curiosity to discover if it was possible to grow a garment from seed in an urban environment and make transparent the process from seed to fashion. I approached my local community greenhouse in South London, they championed the project and we had some funding and involved primary schools, gardeners, crafts people, designers, students and others to grow and process flax which transforms into linen. We then dyed the linen with plant dyes. It was really exciting, such a magical process and I was keen to learn more. I found a course at an agricultural college near Brighton and embarked on a year long study entitled “Grow Your Own Colour” with a fantastic tutor called Sue Craig. This course no longer exists but I learnt so much and connected with some truly inspirational people and have carried on developing the techniques. I enjoy collaborating with plants and people, coaxing colour from roots, leaves, seeds, flowers and berries in group settings. I use the process in my own textile practice and teach seasonal plant dye and print courses. and continue sharing the joy of colour from botanicals.

You seem to play around with a few different dyeing techniques. Which ones have you tried over the years? Do you have any favourites?

Making print pastes to screen print with the plant colours is a fun creative vehicle for design. These can be made from various types of bio-waste – scraps from your kitchen – such as onion skins or avocado stones, or using botanical colour extracts mixed with a carrier paste, then steamed to fix. Eco-printing is another exciting way to steam pigments from plants onto cloth.

Contact printing using a stone or back of a spoon to release colour through tapping or rubbing with leaves and petals onto fabric or paper also makes for interesting image making. Hard to choose which one I prefer! They all have beauty.

As a natural dyer I guess you become more in tune with nature. Is it a seasonal craft? 

There is a rhythm to working with what is local and abundant seasonally. However, it is also a year round activity, as you can dry and store plant materials as well as using fresh matter. I recommend Wild Colours based in Birmingham as a helpful advice and supply online shop. Nature’s Rainbow in Hitchin also offer excellent advice on growing dye plants from seed.

Are there any natural materials you particularly love to dye with? Are there any that have surprised you?

Madder ( Rubia tinctorum) is my favourite dye plant, you get such an array of reds, oranges and pinks from the roots. There are 15 pigments in the plant. I like the smell of it when it has been freshly dug. Black hollyhock petals give lovely green hues and the vibrancy of yellows from Dyers greenweed is electric.

Many of our followers make rag rugs, so are probably interested in the possibility of dyeing old textiles different colours, are there some fabrics that work best? Any that don’t work quite so well? 

Natural fibres work best: protein fibres from animals such as wool, and silk absorb the colour very well. Cellulose fibres such as cotton and linen also produce interesting shades and give deeper tones if well prepared. It is fascinating to see how one plant can produce many shades depending on which fabric is it applied to and what mordant or modifier has been used. There are also exciting ways to extend the colour palette using simple kitchen chemistry. The astonishing thing is none of the plant colours ever clash. Fabrics can be prepared for dyeing with a process called mordanting which helps attract the dye molecules, brightening colours and making colours longer lasting.

Can you dye materials other than fabric? If so, do you have any favourites? 

I love the hues that seep onto the wooden spoons that we use to stir the dye pots. Any porous surface can accept the dye.

What is the basic equipment you need to get into natural dyeing? Is it easy to source?

Some old saucepans, big enough for your fabric to move around easily. Try charity shops for bargains. Scales are useful to weigh fabrics and dye stuff. Creating a bespoke book of colours will also help build knowledge and make for a colourful seasonal record. I also use small pyrex bowls for colour testing colours on smaller scraps of fabric.

Do you have a past project that you particularly love? Does it have story behind it?

I was part of a group called Ceres and invited on an arts residency. We were asked to research an archive of a museum through a ”Lens of Sustainability”. The resulting naturally dyed prints really helped pushed our knowledge and practice further. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen knowledge and push ideas in collaborative spirit with exciting results.

Is there anything that you’ve made that was a complete disaster?

My initial goes at eco-printing were rather unimpressive and we had a good laugh about the unfortunate placement of the leaf shapes on my chest. I enjoy experimenting in company with my friend Marianne Wie who I wrote the book “Nature Journal”, seasonal creative recipes. See www.loveyoursketchbook.com for info, this was also a favourite project.

Is there anything specific on your wish list of things you’d like to make in the future? 

Art spaces, fashion, interiors – all have sparked my imagination for creative design projects and working in collaboration. Am working on a proposal at the moment, watch this space.

Are there any people / places / things you get your inspiration from? 

Walking, being out in nature, travel, I have just returned from an inspirational trip to Paris for Fashion week, exciting seeing the small gallery spaces, graffiti, architecture and soaking up the stylish vibes.

How do you approach your creative projects? Are you a planner?

I keep sketchbooks as a visual diary and space for jotting down ideas and expanding on them. I have several and often refer to them. I also have a big pinboard. I like making with my hands and although find digital useful to some degree prefer to be outside, away from the computer.

What does your workspace look like? 

A garden studio, with a print table in the middle, a book case full of natural dye inspiration books, collected Parakeet feathers from the birds in my local park. Drying botanical matter, fabrics. I love my studio, it is constantly getting messy and tidy as projects arise and finish.

Any words of encouragement for anyone considering booking onto the workshop? 

I welcome you to join, no prior experience necessary. From years of experience I have noted that you often  get more done in a group than you would on your own. If you are interested in Natural Dyeing, it will help give you confidence to experiment on your own and begin or continue your natural dye journey, it’s a colourful one and I look forward to meeting you!

Thanks so much Zoe!

To book onto our workshop with Zoe on Saturday, 14th September 2024 click here or follow Zoe on Instagram here.

Stay tuned for our next Q&A!

Elspeth x