IF YOU’RE INTERESTED
Please click on the purchase button to be added to the one-year course-specific mailing list (Natural Dyers & Growers Academy Gazette).

ABOUT THE COURSE
Hosted at The Dyers Academy, with free community spaces and Co~Lab rooms at
https://the-natural-dyers-academy.mn.co/

You’ll find 2024 student testimonials at the bottom of this description.

TO LEARN MORE
Check out these blog posts (updated regularly) for insights on what the course covers and how it’s structured:

Natural Dyeing Course ~ What to expect
The Natural Dye Academy ~ Here we are!
Module 1: Fibres & Textiles
Module 2 (Part 1): Mordanting with Alum
Module 2 (Part 2 & 3): Iron & Other Mordants
Module 3: Tannin
Module 4: Yellows
Module 5: Reds
Module 6: Indigo
Module 7: Purples
Module 8: Creating Secondary Colours

THE COURSE
Fully online and accessible worldwide. Spanning 12 modules over 12 months, starting mid-January each year. Spaces are limited, so booking opens every September for the following year.

HOW IT RUNS
Each module unlocks after the review meeting, giving you written and illustrated material, plus a quiz and project that build your personal dye portfolio.

THE STRUCTURE
• 1–2 weeks to read each module and get comfortable with its topic.
• First Live Session: Recap the material and prepare for your monthly project.
• Second Live Session: Review your portfolio work, consolidate your knowledge, and clarify any questions.
• All Sessions Recorded: Perfect if you can’t attend live.
• Group Times: Tuesday at 11am or 4pm (two groups, same content).
• Collaborative Exchange Spaces: Post creations, ask questions, and connect with peers.
• Final Project Work: Includes a 20-minute 1:1 session with the instructor.

THE CONTENT (12 MODULES)

1. Fibres & Differences (Jan)
2. All About Mordanting (Feb)
3. Using Tannins (Mar)
4. Creating Yellows (Apr)
5. Creating Reds (May)
6. Creating Blues (Jun)
7. Creating Secondary Colours (Jul)
8. More Secondary Colours (Aug)
9. Lake Making & Other Processes (Sep)
10. Printing & Other Techniques (Oct)
11. Industry Standards / Personal Project (Nov)
12. Personal Projects & Presentations (Nov/Dec)

THE SPECIAL ADDITION
Option to join 5 online sessions led by organic gardener & seedsaver Tristan Lienhard—covering Woad, Persicaria, Weld, Madder, and other dye plants. Learn organic principles of sowing, harvesting, seed saving, etc.

We also offer an optional 4-day in-person event in summer at the dye house: meet fellow students, share portfolio work, and dive deeper into specific topics.

THE CELEBRATION
In the final 2 weeks, you’ll present your projects. The course ends in early December with a live session and the awarding of your AppleOak FibreWorks Natural Dye Academy certificate.

TIME REQUIRED
Plan for 12–32 hours per month (reading, live sessions, and hands-on portfolio work). Course material stays available for 12 months after the course ends.

THE CERTIFICATES
• Certificate of Completion: Issued if you finish the required portfolio and final project.
• Certificate of Attendance: For those who attend and read all materials but haven’t completed all practical work yet. (You can submit your final portfolio later to upgrade to Certificate of Completion.)

We aim to have this course officially recognised in the future.

COURSE OUTCOME
After completion, you’ll be equipped to:
• Start a professional dye practice or join an existing natural dye house.
• Incorporate natural dyeing into your art or crafting business.
• Teach others, refine your skills further, or simply become a highly skilled home/hobby dyer.

FAQ
Q: Do I need a big space?
A: Not at all! A kitchen setup works fine—just ensure you have a window for ventilation. You’ll need a cupboard to store equipment and a place to leave vats/dye liquor overnight.

Q: Poisonous ingredients?
A: No. We avoid harsh chemicals. Some tannins can irritate if you’re sensitive—use a mask for fine powders if needed.

Q: Equipment?
A: Yes, you’ll need dedicated dye equipment and a spot to store it.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: The year-long course is €1,350 (or €125/month for 12 months).

Q: Is it mainly theoretical?
A: Definitely not! Every module includes hands-on project work. The reading is your foundation for practical experimentation and building a recipe portfolio.

Q: I live in the US—does it make sense for me?
A: Absolutely! We cover worldwide sources of dyes and tailor ingredient lists based on your location.

Q: How about ingredients?
A: We can supply a box of dye materials, or you can source them locally. (We can’t ship plant material to Australia, so students there must buy locally.)

Q: Is the portfolio included?
A: You’ll need to source your own A3 or A4 sketchbook. We recommend:
A3 Elements Wirebound Sketchbook, or
Black Paper Cartridge 180g, A3 Portrait (Daler Rowney)

MATERIAL LIST
Estimates for the year (quantities may vary based on sample sizes). We do not include organic laundry liquid, organic washing-up liquid, or white vinegar.

Mordants/Modifiers:
1kg Alum, 1kg Soda Ash, 300g Cream of Tartar, 500g Sodium Acetate, 1kg Chalk, 1kg Ferrous, 1kg Tara, 500g Lime, 1kg Wheat Bran, 250g Fruit Sugar, 125g Tartaric Acid, 125g Citric Acid, 25g Fuller’s Earth, 25g Guar Gum

Dyes:
1kg Oak Gall (ground), 250g Pomegranate Peel (ground), 250g Catechu, 250g Rhubarb Root (ground), 250g Natural Indigo, 100g Cochineal, 1kg Madder (ground), 1kg Weld, 1kg Dyer’s Broom, 1kg Sage Leaves (cut), 100g Logwood (ground)

Fabric & Fibre:
• 2.5m Liona Linen (white, 190g/msq) or similar linen/hemp
• 2.5m Liolina Linen (natural beige, 280g/msq) or similar linen/hemp
• 5m Pongee Silk (approx. 0.5) or silk of choice
• 5m Organic Bubble Cotton or cotton of choice
• 1kg Stockholm yarn (or another protein-based yarn)

TESTIMONIALS FROM 2024 STUDENTS
“[Valeria Q. - Ireland]: The Natural Dye Course offered by Apple Oak has been wonderful—part history, part science, and fully supportive. Jennifer provides excellent guidance and problem-solving. The platform is easy to navigate, even with my reading challenges. Highly recommend it!”

“[Caroline B. - Switzerland]: Really worthwhile! Jennifer is knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. At first, the portfolio work seemed a bit overwhelming, but once I got into it, I loved it. Seeing colour emerge from tannin and iron is amazing!”

“[Louise G. - Ireland]: I was a total beginner but decided to give it a whirl. I’m almost 5 months in and loving it. It’s a lot covered so far, but Jennifer and Tristan have been very supportive. Highly recommended—just pace yourself.”

“[Joanmarie S. - USA]: I’ve been dyeing for years but learned so much from The Natural Dyers Academy. Each module adds something new, and the community is incredibly encouraging. Jennifer has created a nurturing, hands-on learning environment.”

READY TO JOIN?
Click on the purchase button to get on the one-year course mailing list—spaces are limited!
Any questions? Feel free to email me directly.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Monthly payment plan ~ if you prefer to pay monthly, you can do so here! We will send you an invite via email for you to access the course. By the end of January, we will send you another invite setting you up for a monthly payment subscription until the end of the course in December. 

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2024 Student's testimonials

The Natural Dye Course offered by Apple Oak has been a wonderful experience. It's a well blended curriculum of the history and science of natural dyeing. Jennifer does an excellent job or leading and supporting her students through the course work. She provides support through problem solving, expanding on specific topics as needed and presenting clear and concise information. It is also a very accessible platform that has made it easy for myself who has a learning disorder (reading is hard) to navigate and use. Overall I would highly recommend the professional dye course to anyone seeking to further their knowledge of natural dyes and the fiber arts through dyeing. - Valeria Q. (Ireland)

« I have found this course really worthwhile, Jennifer is super knowledgeable, helpful and patient. At the beginning I was a little overwhelmed by the portfolio work involved but once I got stuck into it, I’m absolutely loving it! Seeing colour appear before my eyes from only tannin and iron has been so amazing and I can’t wait to move on to the other colors!!- Caroline B. (Switzerland)

I am a complete novice when it comes to natural dying. The course sounded very comprehensive and supportive so I decided to give it a whirl. I am now almost 5 months into it and am absolutely loving it so much. Although it took me a while to get my head into the space of measurements and science, Jennifer and Tristan were very supportive with questions asked and made sure everyone was on the page. It has opened up a whole new world to me and I would thoroughly recommend it. There has been a lot covered so far so my advice would be to tip away at the work so that it doesn't become overwhelming especially if your a beginner like myself. I'm looking forward to meeting the class in person and seeing the studio in the flesh. - Louise G. (Ireland)

Jennifer and Tristen have put together an amazing course!  I have been naturally dying for for a number of years and thought a knew a lot, until I began my journey with The Natural Dyers Academy.  Each module brings something new, and shifts my way of looking at a process.  Although the Academy is over zoom, it never feels impersonal.  The cohort of learners are so willing to help one another and to offer encouragement.  Jennifer has really created a nurturing learning environment. Jennifer and Tristin are always available if a question arises and you never have to wait until the next meeting to raise a question.  I am so excited about creating my own work portfolio and plan on filling in with more of my own recipes based upon what I am learning.  - Joanmarie S. (USA)

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The Course

This course is fully online, consists of 12 modules; scheduled over 12 months, starting mid January of each year. Each module will open on the first of the month giving you access to written and illustrated material, to guide you through the particular topic of that module. Each module also contains a quiz and a project; which will result in recipes and samples for your portfolio on that topic. 

The Structure

With each module you will have approximately 1 week to read through and familiarize yourself with that topic, followed by an online live session to revise the material and help you prepare for that module's portfolio work. On the last week of each month, there will be a second live session to review your portfolio work, consolidate knowledge for that module and answer any questions remaining. All live sessions will be recorded and available for anyone unable to attend on the day. 

Each of the modules are supported by dedicated Collaborative Exchange Spaces on the platform where participants can post their creations, ask questions and connect on that topic. During the final project work, there will be a 20min 1:1 session for each participant.

The Content

The 12 modules will cover the following: 

1. Fibres and their differences (Jan)
2. All about Mordanting (Feb)
3. Using Tannins (March)
4. Creating Blues (April)
5. Creating Yellows (May)
6. Creating Reds (June)
7. Creating Secondary Colours (July)
8. Creating More Secondary Colours (Aug)
9. Lake making and other Processes (Sept)
10.  Printing and other Techniques (Oct)
11.  Industry standards/Personal project (Nov)
12. Personal Projects & presentations (Nov/Dec)

The Special addition

Throughout the course there will also be an option to take part in 5 online sessions, taught by organic gardener and seed saver Tristan Lienhard; on growing Woad, Weld, Madder and other dye plants organically. This will include organic horticultural principles, sowing and specific requirements for each crop, harvesting and seed saving. 

The Celebration

All projects will be presented and celebrated during the final 2 weeks of the course. The course will conclude in the first week of December with a final live session, where each participant will receive their AppleOak FibreWorks Natural Dye Academy certificate. 

The Time Required

Depending on the module you will need roughly 12 -25 hours per month to read through the course work, attend the live sessions and complete the portfolio work.

Course outcome

After attending this course, you will be able to open up your own professional dye practice, incorporate natural dyeing in your art or crafting business successfully, teach others, take it further or simply become a really good home/hobby dyer. 

All you need for January & February is in this bundle!

• Linen white (Liona) x 0.5m
• Linen grey ( Liolina) x 0.5m
• Cotton (Bubble organic 2 layered) x 0.5m
• Silk (Habotai) x 0.5m
• Wool Yarn 200g (Stockholm)
• Soda Ash 100g