justine aldersey-williams : animist colour lover

I’ve just updated The Wild Dyery’s EVENTS PAGE with all our live workshops next year. It’s very exciting getting everything planned out but the major event, our exciting new online home study course isn’t included just yet as it’s still under wraps… we’ll announce more next week… not long to wait!

In the meantime, visit the events page for first choice on workshops next year. There will be 6 Indigo Socials, 5 Eco-Colour (formerly called Eco-Spectrum) and 3 Eco-Printing workshops plus our amazing Ayurvastra retreat. Places are limited to 14 for full day workshops and 8 for the evening Indigo Socials so there are only a small number of people who will be able to train with us next year and these places will fill up fast.

If you’d like to gift a workshop to a loved one for Christmas, we can prepare a beautiful ticket so you have something to wrap or put in a card. Just CONTACT US to arrange the perfect gift for the crafty creative in your life.

SUPER EXCITED to announce this!

The Wild Dyery’s first textile and yoga retreat to beautiful Snowdonia next June! This event just doesn’t exist anywhere else and will explore the creation of sustainable clothing as part of a spiritual practise.

Not only will you get to try natural dyeing, eco-printing and indigo shibori in one weekend but you’ll be totally chilled out at the end due to some delicious yoga practise in this area of outstanding natural beauty.

You’ll leave with your own plant dyed yoga clothing, coloured using locally foraged herbal dyes and the knowledge to continue a natural dye practice at home.

Read more about Ayurvastra and get full details about this trail blazing new event.

N.B. Early booking by cheque is advised to avoid eventbrite fees which are included in the online listing below..

Please register your interest by joining the… AYURVASTRA EVENT PAGE

OR if this sings to your heart and soul and you know you need a place right now, please CONTACT US to book ...

OPEN CALL: are you a textile artist or maker producing beautiful work using natural fibres and plant dyes? Do you have or know of any exquisite dye journals, gardens or clothing? Are you a natural dye enthusiast who knows where to find the world’s finest practitioners of natural dyeing? The Wild Dyery will soon be showcasing the very best examples and would appreciate you contacting us via our contact page, sharing this message with those who may be interested in being featured or messaging with a link to yours or your favourite artist/makers website.

 
p.s. the samples in the picture are from my dye journal. Background, unmordanted wool gauze + woad, top stripe, mordanted wool gauze + woad and bottom stripe, mordanted silk + woad : )

I’ve yet to write about the fact that I opened a new studio this summer (I will soon!) but am skipping ahead to share some new work using flowers harvested from the studio dye garden. Back in May I planted Dyer’s Coreopsis, Dyer’s Camomile, Sumac, Hollyhocks, Woad, Madder, Weld, Lady’s Bedstraw, Angelica and Meadowsweet and 3 months later I got to use the first crop of flowers in an ecoprinting project.

I’d dyed some silk scarves using shibori resist patterns and exhaust baths from my last Eco-Spectrum workshopand whilst they were lovely, like any pieces of textiles that sit still for too long, I felt compelled to mess with them some more! I went for a forage around my favourite part of the Wirral, Thurstaston and gathered some branches of Copper Beech, some magical Mugwort (which seems to be my totem plant lately) and some rich brown Dock seeds.

I’m not going to share my entire process because I make my living as a textile teacher and whilst these photos give lots of hints, ther...

I love getting parcels! This one was my reward for pledging to support a Kickstarter campaign for new manufacturers cooperative, Community Clothing.

The cooperative was established by Patrick Grant; Savile Row tailor, 'Great British Sewing Bee' judge and one of my former drinking companions on nights out round Liverpool!

I felt compelled to support this worthwhile initiative because it addresses the injustice of zero hours contracts, overseas slave labour and exploitation within the fashion and textiles industries by creating work for employees in the UK.

The tote is really well made and BIG but to be honest, didn't appeal to my inner bohemian so had to get a dunk in the indigo dye vat.

I may have ruined the utilitarian aesthetic but it made a really good beach bag and sunbathing pillow on my hols in Cala D'Or last week and now has the scent of sun, sea, sand and Malibu factor 6!

Community Clothing have created a small range of great quality items including jeans and jackets. ...

Workshops for Parents and Children Summer 2016

Reconnecting

Marcus Drummond is one such artisan. A green wood worker with a deep reverence for the environment who creates heirloom furniture entirely by hand. For those of you not familiar with green wood work, it is an ancient craft that utilises the softness of newly felled trees for carpentry with hand tools.

Live Indigo Shibori (tie-dye) demonstrations

Come and celebrate with a glass of cheap fizz!

Sat 25th June 2016 10am – 4pm