The Art of Medicinal Dyes

Infuse the healing potential of plants into your fabric & clothing

enrol now for £57
It’s no secret that plants are full of healing properties...

What if we could infuse fabric not only with nature’s vibrant colours, but also with these medicinal qualities?

Are you –

  • Curious about dyeing with herbs and the crossover between herbalism & natural dyeing?
  • Wondering how you can create meaningful textiles that promote wellness?
  • Passionate about sustainability & holistic living?

If you nodded along to any of those, then I suspect you’ll like this...

Introducing...

The Art of Medicinal Dyes

Learn about the history of healing herbal dyes from around the world, and how you can create your own naturally dyed, herbal-infused fabric.

Plus learn how to dye with indigo, which is actually a herbal dye with many healing benefits.

Every landscape has healing plants, so you’ll be able to follow my herbal recipes no matter where you live in the world.

sign me up, please!

Lovely words from a student

I love the way Rebecca makes it easy and playful ! A happy, beautiful way to explore your creativity and the wonderful world of natural dye. Such an amazing, cheerful, reconnecting pause. Thank you Rebecca for your kind and generous way of sharing your craft.

– Valérie

Preview the course

What you’ll learn

Healing & protective dyes

  • History of healing dyes across the world, including ayurvastra and other traditions.
  • Medicinal dyes including herbs and indigo.
  • Natural dyes that offer antibacterial and UV protection.

Dye with bay leaves & other herbs

  • A recipe for dyeing with bay leaves.
  • Easily substitute in other herbs or tree leaves.
  • How to create simple geometric patterns with clamp resist dyeing (this technique is known as ‘Itajime Shibori’).
  • Or you can skip the clamping and dye an even colour.
  • How to pretreat silk and cotton to absorb the dye, for the longest-lasting results.

Dye with indigo

  • Follow the video and make an indigo vat and dye cellulose (plant) fibres.
  • The ingredients are: indigo pigment, fructose and lime (calcium hydroxide).
  • Keep your vat going in the long-term by “feeding” it with the correct balance of ingredients.

Learn about the other benefits of natural dyeing & crafting

  • Learn about craft as therapy.
  • Discover the benefits of spending time in nature, including Therapeutic Horticulture, Forest Therapy & more.
Grab your basket and let’s take a stroll...

We’ll pick bay leaves, maybe gather some lavender, then come home to brew a fragrant pot of dye.

I’ll show you how to extract dyes from your local plants and herbs, so you can create gentle colours through the seasons.

“Let us give nature a chance; she knows her business better than we do.”

– MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE (1533 – 1592).

the art of medicinal dyes

Everything you need to harness the full potential of herbal dyes:

  • 7 videos, divided into bitesize chunks. Over 90 minutes in total. Very clear and concise.
  • Detailed written notes and recipes to accompany every video.
  • Access to a private Facebook group where you can ask Rebecca questions and receive additional support. Plus make friends with other natural dyers from around the world and chat about your projects!
  • Ongoing access to the videos and lesson notes. Log into the website at any point to access the course materials.

Lovely words from a student

“I love making my clothing from scratch and this incredible course has given me not only insight into dyeing, but how to achieve my goals without breaking the bank. The step-by-step process is very easy to understand especially for a beginner. I will be looking forward to more courses from Rebecca.“

– CHRIS

Natural dyeing is such a special way to get out and really connect with your surroundings.

In this course, you’ll see the world through fresh eyes—spotting dye potential in places you’d never expect.

Plus, there’s something so soothing about working with your hands and using plants that have healing properties. It’s a double dose of therapy, both from nature and the craft itself!

Explore herbal colour...

enrol today

£57

  • Over 90 minutes of bite-size videos.
  • Video & written dye recipes that you can easily refer to.
  • Recipes for whole herbs, as well as indigo pigment.
  • Access to a private Facebook group for support & guidance.
  • Lifetime access to the videos and lessons. Log into your account to view the classes at any point.
get started now

Meet your instructor

Hi, I’m Rebecca!

Over the last decade, I’ve taught thousands of people natural dyeing via my books and online courses.

Years ago, I started off dyeing with powdered dye extracts that I bought online. Although these were beautiful, I longed to feel more of a connection to my local environment.

Then, everything changed when I became a mother. I’d go on long walks with my baby and return with my pockets stuffed full of plants. Alder cones and dandelions were some of the first local dyes I tried.

Then, as my son got older, he would help me forage for plants too. Together, we learnt about the different trees, herbs and “weeds” growing around us. A lot of sweet memories were captured on cloth.

I realised that I didn’t need to spend money on dyes, as I had an array of beautiful dye plants right on my doorstep.

Then the next step was to delve in and explore dyeing healing fabric. There were two aspects to this: healing fibres to wear on the body, and the healing nature of the craft that has brought me so much joy and peace over the years.

Ever since then, I’ve been on a journey of discovery in search of new colours from my local plants. There’s always something new to discover from nature.

Join me in my studio where I share my dyeing secrets and inspire you to unlock the colour from the plants around you.

I want to join you, Rebecca!

Enrol for £57, with lifetime access

Frequently Asked Questions

You’ll need: a heat source, a metal pot (ideally with a lid), a spoon for stirring, a sieve, a muslin cloth for straining and a large bowl, and rubber gloves. To make the geometric pattern on the cloth, you’ll need a pair of wooden coasters (or other shapes) and a metal clamp.

To prepare your fibres before dyeing, you can either use soy(a) milk on plant fibres. For silk, the recipe uses alum, which will require a large pot or bucket to soak your fibres. For the soya milk method, you also need a bucket to soak your fabric.

The indigo recipe requires some specific ingredients. You’ll need indigo pigment powder, fructose and calcium hydroxide (lime). These are all easily available to buy online, and from natural dye supply shops such as Botanical Colors in the US, and Wild Colours in the UK.

This is the equipment you’ll need to make the indigo vat (it will seem much simpler once you watch the video). Try to repurpose old things you have lying around, and also thrift some secondhand tools:

Three glass jars, spoons, digital kitchen scales, dust mask, goggles, a jug, a plastic bottle & marbles (to mix the indigo with water), a small funnel (or make one with paper), a large stainless steel pot and a stove for heating (or a plastic bucket and an immersion water heater), and an extra bucket to rinse fabric.

You can dye any natural fibres with natural dyes.

This course gives you recipes for dyeing silk or plant fibres with herbs. And also a recipe for making an indigo vat to use with cellulose (plant) fibres.

After you’ve placed your order, you’ll be asked to create an account and choose a password. Then you can log in to your account on any device or computer to access the content. You’ll be able to watch the videos and read the course notes at any point.

You’ll have lifetime access, so you’ll be able to watch the videos and access the other course materials for as long as they are available on the internet, which will be many years.

Yes, of course! After enrolling into the course, you’ll have access to my private Facebook group where you can post any questions and I’ll help you.

You need a lot more plant material for dyeing fibres than for making a herbal infusion. So it would work out very expensive and wasteful to use herbs that you’ve bought.

I often use dried herbs, but ones that I’ve gathered and dried myself. Personally I find it much more sustainable to gather my own herbs.

Some of the videos in this course are in my membership (get access for a monthly cost).

Or you can get lifetime access right now in The Art of Medicinal Dyes for a one-off payment.

The brand new video in this course is:

  • A 25 minute video about the science and history of medicinal dyes from around the world.

These two projects appear in Natural Dye Club:

  • Dye with bay leaves and create geometric patterns using a clamp-resist technique.
  • Make an indigo vat for cellulose/plant fibres.

Nothing in this course claims to heal or cure any illness or health condition.

It’s for information and enjoyment purposes only.

I’m simply presenting various studies and historical uses of dyes, and teaching you how to dye with plants.

You can use this as a starting point for your own explorations.

Lovely words about my courses…

“I have quite a few of Rebecca’s natural dye courses and they’re all so full of content and information. Rebecca is beyond generous with what she provides in her courses. She shows how to mordant and many courses have extra information – such as the ‘Art of Medicinal Dyes’ shows Japanese Shibori along with the dyeing techniques. 

I love the way that Rebecca gives very clear step-by-step instructions (both written and videos). It’s perfect for beginners to step into the wonderful world of natural dyeing. But the way that Rebecca shares her work and processes means that intermediate dyers will get lots of different methods to try as well. 

Each course is perfect on its own, but if you decide to delve into all her courses you’ll build up your library and understanding of dyeing with so many different plants and vegetables. I think of Rebecca as the queen of avocado dyeing!”

– Ellie Beck, textile artist & educator

This course is for you if:

  • You’re curious about the cross-over between herbalism & natural dyeing.
  • You’d like to feel more connected to nature and bring more moments of mindfulness into your life.
  • You’re keen to try indigo dyeing.

This course is NOT for you if:

  • You’re not interested in foraging for herbs and experimenting with their colour potential.
  • You’d rather buy powdered dye extracts for all your colours (the indigo recipe uses pigment, but the herbal recipe uses whole plants).
Are you ready to join me and learn how to harness the full potential of herbal dyes?
Let’s do this together!

Join for £57

Disclaimer

Nothing in this course claims to heal or cure any illness or health condition. It’s for information and enjoyment purposes only. I’m simply presenting various studies and historical uses of dyes, and teaching you how to dye with plants. You can use this as a starting point for your own explorations.