Siân Cornish

Siân Cornish studied geology at Oxford before turning to natural dyeing, a craft that runs in a family of cotton weavers and silk sellers. Now creative director of the Cornwall-based botanical dyeing studio Lancaster & Cornish, she works with plants, pigments and silks to create work that echoes the changing palette of the local landscape — collaborating with leading florists and creatives globally.

Visual artist and creative director of botanical dyeing studio Lancaster & Cornish

Course

Spotlight on Natural Dyeing

Discover how to use plants and pigments to create natural dye colours that are unique to landscapes and the seasons. In this in-depth course, dyeing expert Siân Cornish will take you on a journey of creative and colour discovery, teaching you all about the history of natural dyeing and where natural pigments and colours originate from - from dye plants and trees to fungi and insects. You will learn how to set up a home dye kitchen and experiment safely, the different fabrics to use and their properties, as well as key dyeing techniques including resist, bundle and direct contact dyeing. Siân will also share her tried and tested dye ‘recipes’, show you how to achieve a spectrum of colours and how to put palettes together. You will then put this new found knowledge into action with a range of dyeing projects that include silk ribbons, shibori printing napkins and bound-dyed wrapping cloths.

15 Lessons

Included with membership

Lesson plan — 15 lessons

01 Introduction

01 Meet Siân
02 Getting started
03 The basic principles

02 Project 1 - Silk ribbons

04 Scouring the silk ribbons
05 Mordanting & preparing the dye
06 Dyeing the ribbons with madder
07 Dyeing the ribbons with weld
08 Dyeing the ribbons with coreopsis
09 The finished madder and coreopsis ribbons
10 Dyeing the ribbons with brazilwood

03 Project 2 - Shibori napkins

11 Shibori napkins - The preparation
12 Creating pattern

04 Project 3 - Bundle dyeing

13 Bundle dyeing - Part 1
14 Bundle dyeing - Part 2
15 Farewell

Start learning Watch a free lesson

“This course is at just the right level to give you the knowledge and confidence you need to try botanical dyeing. Sian explains everything very well and simply leaving you inspired and ready to start”

Melanie

“I have subscribed to access all the courses so have watched one on interior design and this one with Butter Wakefield who specialises in small garden design. She has a lovely personality and comes across as being a ve...”

Louise Brown Apr 10, 2026

“I love CreateAcademy. I came in for the gardening and floristry courses, but am also watching an interior design one at present. And the photography course is an absolute must, best I've ever done.”

Wellesley Apr 1, 2026

“What a great investment, I have learned such a lot from the first three courses. My evenings have gone from not being able to find anything that captured my imagination on TV to learning and expanding my knowledge on ...”

sojojo Mar 30, 2026

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