WORK WITH THE ATELIER
Private workshops offer a hands-on introduction to natural dyeing in an intimate and inspiring setting. A chance to slow down, work with your hands and experience the colours and textures that plants can create.
Workshops can be organised for friends, celebrations, teams and creative groups, either at the atelier or at another location.
THE EXPERIENCE
In a private workshop, we explore the process from plant to cloth, working with natural dyes, simple techniques and traditional methods.
The experience can be tailored to your group and may include bundle dyeing, immersion dyeing, botanical printing, colour modification, or a combination of techniques.
No previous experience is needed - just curiosity.
All materials are provided, and everyone leaves with their own naturally dyed pieces and a deeper understanding of the process.
WHO THEY ARE FOR
Private workshops can be created for different kinds of gatherings:
Friends and celebrations
A slower, creative way to spend time together and make something to take home.
Teams and companies
A tactile alternative to the usual team activity, centred around experimentation and creating together.
Creative groups and studios
Explore natural colour as a material and learn techniques that can be taken back into your own practice.
Retreats and off-site gatherings
Natural dyeing can become part of a larger programme centred around craft, nature, creativity or wellbeing.
Special events
A workshop or natural dye experience developed specifically around your event, location or theme.
Workshops can take place at Sanctuary Atelier in Amsterdam or at another location. Each workshop is adapted to the group, available time and level of experience.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPLORE
Depending on the group and the time available, a private workshop can focus on one technique or combined several processes.
Bundle dyeing
Arrange flowers, leaves and natural dyes directly onto cloth before wrapping and steaming them to reveal their colours and impressions.
Immersion dyeing
Explore traditional dye baths and discover how colour is slowly built through plant material, time and temperature.
Botanical printing
Work directly with leaves and plants to transfer their shapes, tannins and pigments onto cloth.
Colour & pH
Experiment with modifiers and changing pH to discover how a single dye can produce an unexpected range of colours.
For more in-depth private sessions, we can also explore preparation, scouring, mordanting and developing your own natural dye practice.
THE PROCESS
Introduction
We begin with an introduction to natural dyes, materials and the techniques we will be exploring.
02
Hands-on dyeing
Together we work with plants, prepare the dye materials and create your own textile pieces.
03
Time & transformation
Depending on the technique, we allow time for the dye process to unfold and observe how heat, plants and cloth interact.
04
Take home
You leave with your naturally dyed pieces and practical knowledge of the process behind them.
MORE THAN A WORKSHOP
A private workshop is an opportunity to connect – with plants, materials and each other.
There is something special about gathering around a table, working with your hands and watching colour slowly emerge from plants. The process leaves room for conversation, experimentation and surprise, making each workshop different from the next.
Whether you are celebrating something, bringing a team together or simply making time to create, the workshop can be shaped around your group.
PRICING
Private workshops are quoted according to the number of participants, duration, chosen technique, materials and location.
Workshops at the atelier can range from a shorter introduction to natural dyeing to an in-depth session exploring several stages of the process. Workshops can also be organised on location, with travel and additional material costs included in the proposal where applicable.
