Natural Black Dyes 11am-1pm SOLD OUT

Service Description

A practical workshop for all abilities, no experience in natural dyeing needed. Learn some of the secrets of the dyer from nationally-renowned natural dye expert Kate Turnbull. Kate’s great grandfather, textile chemist John Tomkinson, was the co-founder of the Premiere Dye Works in Leek, Staffordshire. He trained with the world-famous Sir Thomas Wardle, known for his innovations in Silk Dyeing and his collaboration with William Morris, who visited Leek to learn the alchemy of natural dyes. One of Tomkinson’s accolades was finding a way to fix the colour black for William Morris, which was notoriously difficult at the time. New Macclesfield School of Art director Becca Smith first worked with Kate at Leek Textiles Week 2024 and then on a large-scale project with Kew Gardens in 2025. Don't miss this chance to gain a fascinating practical insight in to natural dyes of our region’s textile heritage.