The Colour Field Open Studio Workshop is an opportunity for practising artists to gain new skills in natural dyeing and working with plants and natural colours. Now in its second year, the four-day workshop is a collaborative learning event.
Six artists will be selected to participate in the Open Studio Workshop, which will take place in the context of developing the colour garden and outdoor dye kitchen at Workhouse Union.
The workshop is led by curator and natural dyer Hollie Kearns, with guest tutor Ashleigh Ellis, and is supported by Michelle McMahon and Fiona May.
Deadline for applying: 17th of July, 2026
When: Workshop dates: 20, 21, 22, 23 of August 2026
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By Feltmakers Ireland Committee Member and Chairperson, Elizabeth Redding
I set off early on Saturday morning, 13th June, for a two-day Indigo Dyeing Workshop with Malú Colorín in Wicklow. It was a lovely scenic drive through The Curragh and over the Wicklow mountains. On arrival, there was a very welcome cup of tea and cake waiting for us.
The first task was to scour the samples we brought. Malú explained the importance of scouring and the different ways for plant as opposed to protein fibres. Later, we saw for ourselves, as the water turned brown, even though everything had already been washed.
Next, she explained the difference between dye and pigment. Indigo is a pigment; therefore, it is not water-soluble. To make it soluble, it has to be starved of oxygen and be alkaline. We were told about the different plants that produce indigo. Some of which can be grown in Ireland.
Next was to start making up vats. Four in total. First was a fructose vat. When we had that made, we broke for lunch. After lunch, we made the other three vats: iron, banana and madder. We were told how to mind the vats and keep them alive. Then, it was time to finish for the day.
The second day was spent dying. First, we prepared some material by tying beads into it, and another piece by folding and clamping with pegs and lollipop sticks. There was a great variety of samples to dye. The materials were cotton, silk, and linen. The yarns were wool, cotton, flax, alpaca, tencel, and nettle.
It was very interesting how the different materials took up the dye. Some came out darker than others. I was so busy that I was forgetting to take photos of the process.
The Indigo Dyeing Workshop was very interesting, and Malú was so helpful. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Have you recently taken part in an interesting textile workshop? If you’re a member of Feltmakers Ireland, we’d love to hear about it and share your experience with the wider guild. No need to give away the tutor’s “secret sauce,” of course!And your article need not be long either.
Photographs are always welcome. For best online display, please send images, ideally sized at 1080 × 1350 pixels at 96 dpi.
Please email your workshop report and photos to feltmakersie@gmail.com.
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Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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A four-week course is open to both beginners and experienced creatives who want to explore richly detailed textures and natural colours with Wet Cyanotype Printing on Paper and Textiles.
Guided by Ashleigh Ellis, students will learn to work with botanicals, wet ingredients, and natural dyes to create unique, environmentally conscious works of art.
Start Date: Thursday, the 7th of May 2026 Duration: 4 weeks Format: Online – Live Zoom teaching, recordings of Lives, and downloadable PDFs
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Jennifer Lienhard of Apple Oak Fibre Works will teach a year-long online course in natural dyeing – a guided, in-depth journey into the science, craft, and history of colour.
The program consists of the following-
12 learning modules released monthly via a private course platform
Live Zoom calls, Q&A, and portfolio building
Live calls are scheduled twice a day to accommodate students in different time zones. Recordings available after every session
Optional in-person intensives and gardening session in August
Deep dives into fibres, tannins, mordanting, lasting colours, indigo fermentation vats and sustainability
Build a professional portfolio and creative direction for your own studio
Course certificate upon completion of the portfolio work
The course starts on the 13th of January 2026.
Monthly topics
January — Fibres and their differences
February — Mordanting
March — Tannins
April — Creating blues
May — Creating yellows
June — Creating reds
July — Creating purples
August — Secondary colours & modifiers
September — Lake making and related processes
October — Printing and advanced techniques
November — Industry standards & personal project
December — Final projects & presentations
Irish residents: receive 40% discount via the National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) funding (includes materials).
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Claudy Jongstra is renowned for her large-scale textile artworks and architectural installations that draw on her approach to working with locally raised fibres and dye plants. A retrospective solo exhibition, ‘Presence in Process – 30 Years of Art and Craft at Studio Claudy Jongstra’, will soon open.
The exhibition runs from the 18th of December 2025 to the 30th of August 2026.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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The Festival of Botanical Colours is a textile event which includes workshops and demonstrations, including the following: indigo dyeing, land art, ink making, Fair Isle knitting, spinning, storytelling, block printing, solar dyeing, pigments, peg loom weaving and more
When: From Friday, the 24th, through Sunday, the 26th of October.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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On Monday, the 15th of September, Malú Colorín of Talu Earth will share her best tips to identify dye plants in the wild, so that you can gain insights into the colours we see, and learn how to predict the results in the dye pot.
She will discuss the following:
Is that a dye plant?
What colour does it make?
Will this brightly-coloured flower dye my shirt that colour?
Why is it so hard to get green?
When: Monday, 15th September at 6:30 PM (Irish time), via a FREE Zoom call.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Join tutor and artist Ashleigh Ellis for a free course preview on Wet Cyanotype Printing on Paper.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned creative, this is your chance to meet Ashleigh, see her process, and find out how you can explore the magic of botanicals, sunlight, and natural colour.
When: This Wednesday, the 13th, at 6.30 PM for a live preview talk via Zoom.
Note: The course starts on Thursday, the 28th of August, via the Appleoak Fibreworks online education platform.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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The first one is by Feltmakers Ireland member Hélène Dooley, who has written an article about her experiments with natural dyeing, using tea, pine cones, and the roots and bark of a plum tree. Of special interest is her experiment with felting WITHOUT soap! Instead, she used vinegar.
As it is sunny outside in Ireland (today), it may be a good time for wool washing. Or not. If you are wondering how to wash MORE wool, TWO blog posts from the Felting and Fiber Studio may be of interest. Canadian feltmaker, Jan, explores creative ways to use agricultural equipment for washing larger volumes of wool fleece.
The fourth article, also by Jan, is relatively recent, dated August 4. It is about demonstrating needle felting and includes invaluable tips on how to engage in conversations with the public. She even describes how, when working on 2D pictures, the application of wool can be similar to using traditional art supplies such as pastel, watercolour, or acrylic paint. You will also have a laugh, as she writes in a humorous style.
Note: You can ‘subscribe’ to the Felting and Fiber Studio’s blog in order not to miss any posts. Just like our website, there is a sidebar with a box to enter your email address.
Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.
The Archipelago of Colour is a festival of natural colours which features workshops, talks, and activities for artists, crafters, and families. It will include deep ecology work, a colour safari, and workshops with experts on natural dyeing, ink making, eco printing, and using mineral pigments. Sunday is a family-focused day.
When: Saturday, the 26th – Sunday, the 27th of July.
Where: Willow and Lore, 15A Craigdunloof Road, Newtowncrommelin, BT436RQ Co Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
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