Natural dyer and visual artist Sian Cornish welcomes you to her very first course. Sian explains her practice of using colours from nature to create beautiful ribbons and fabrics and talks through the projects you’ll be doing together.

The first step in the natural dye process is to set up your own dye kitchen. You don’t need a huge space, and it’s best to keep it simple - Sian tells you everything you will need.

Before taking on your first project, Sian offers an insightful overview of the natural dying process, from types of fibres and natural dye sources to the methods and techniques you’ll be learning in the course.

For your first project together, Sian will be showing you how to make natural dyed silk ribbons. It’s a great way to introduce you to all the fundamentals and ease you into the technical processes.

The mordanting process is an essential stage in every natural dyeing project. Learn why, and exactly how to do it to achieve beautifully clear, bright colours.

Sian will be showing you how to use three different dyes to create a multitude of colours, alongside a few dye modifiers to alter the shades. First, she shows you what can be achieved with madder.

Weld is another ancient dye plant and produces the most beautiful vibrant yellows. Practice your new dyeing skills by following along with Sian as she uses it to dye more silk ribbons using the processes you’ve just learnt.

The next plant dye you will be experimenting with in this project is coreopsis. This time, instead of using an extract, you will be dyeing the ribbons with dried coreopsis flowers.

As Sian reveals her finished ribbons, she also offers invaluable words of advice to help you keep a record of your natural dyeing projects and improve your results.

For the final dye extract, Sian shows you how to work with brazilwood; a powerful pigment that can be used sparingly to great effect.

In your next project together, you’ll be using just one natural dye and applying it to a cellulose fibre this time, cotton. The mordanting process for cellulose fibres is slightly different, and Sian takes you through step by step.

This lesson takes you through dyeing the cotton napkins using techniques inspired by ‘Shibori’, the ancient Japanese art of shaped resistance dyeing. Sian demonstrates two ways to create patterns.

For your final project, Sian shows you a method called ‘bundle dyeing’, which can be used to extract the colour from whole flowers. It’s incredibly simple and versatile, and the possibilities are endless.

Time for the final reveal, and the exciting part of seeing what you have created. Sian also offers ideas for other ways to experiment.

Sian wraps up the course and offers closing words of encouragement.