Natural dyeing is fun and always surprising. Often the dyestuff would normally be discarded, like the onion skins you take off the Onion before you use it or the cuttings from the overgrown Rosemary bush. I dye with it and then compost it. Sometimes I can not grow or find the dyestuff for a colour I might like to make so buy a powered version of the plant, like Madder root.

Each time you dye you can never guarantee the same result as the colour can vary depending on the time of year, weather conditions, length of time in the pot and many other factors. But the surprise is part of the fun, you always get something that is unique.

Recently I have added botanical printing to my techniques, using leaves to print on cotton making beautiful patterns.