A hands-on workshop where participants create naturally dyed fabrics using seasonal ingredients, guided by Andrea Akers of Linen and Leaf.
Andrea Akers leads a natural dyeing workshop at Kelham Island Museum on Sunday 1 November, from 10:30am to 12:30pm. It's part of the Kelham Makes series, and the whole session is about making your own naturally dyed fabrics using seasonal ingredients from the kitchen, the garden and the hedgerow. You'll spend the morning experimenting with those ingredients to see how they colour fabric, and you'll learn how to harness the properties of natural dyes and extract colour in a sustainable way. No experience is necessary, and all the materials are provided, so you don't need to bring anything with you. Everyone leaves with a range of dyed fabric samples to use in their own craft practice.
Akers runs Linen and Leaf and brings years of experience in textiles and natural surface decoration. She works with sustainable, ancient plant dye and print methods to produce results on paper, yarn and fabric, so the session is led by someone who knows the craft from the ground up. It's a hands-on morning rather than a lecture, with the focus on the actual process of extracting colour from plants.
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The workshop is held at Kelham Island Museum on Alma Street, which marks 300 years of Sheffield making history. The museum takes visitors through the Industrial Revolution, the Victorian era and the Women of Steel, and its displays include the 425-ton River Don Engine—the most powerful working steam engine in Europe—the Sheffield Simplex cars, the Hawley Tool Collection and the 1916 House. There's also the on-site café, Joni, and the traditional pub, The Millowners Arms, if you fancy staying on after the session. The workshop costs £38 and booking is essential.
