NOTS are delighted to be partnering with The Natural Dyers and Growers Academy and AppleOak FibreWorks to offer funding toward their 1-year online Professional Course in Natural Dyeing. This course begins in January 2025 and has significant funding for eligible Irish residents through our NOTS portal below.

The Course:
This course is fully online, consists of 12 modules; scheduled over 12 months, starting mid January 2025. Each module will open on the first of the month giving you access to written and illustrated material, to guide you through the particular topic of that module. Each module also contains a quiz and a project; which will result in recipes and samples for your portfolio on that topic.

The Structure:
With each module you will have approximately 1 week to read through and familiarize yourself with that topic, followed by an online live session to revise the material and help you prepare for that module’s portfolio work. On the last week of each month, there will be a second live session to review your portfolio work, consolidate knowledge for that module and answer any questions remaining. All live sessions will be recorded and available for anyone unable to attend on the day.

Modules:
The 12 modules will cover the following:

1. Fibres and their differences (Jan)
2. All about Mordanting (Feb)
3. Using Tannins (March)
4. Creating Blues (April)
5. Creating Yellows (May)
6. Creating Reds (June)
7. Creating Purples (July)
8. Creating Secondary Colours (Aug)
9. Lake making and other Processes (Sept)
10.  Printing and other Techniques (Oct)
11.  Industry standards/Personal project (Nov)
12. Personal Projects & presentations (Nov/Dec)

Special Features:
Throughout the course there will also be an option to take part in 5 online sessions, taught by organic gardener and seed saver Tristan Lienhard; on growing Woad, Weld, Madder and other dye plants organically. This will include organic horticultural principles, sowing and specific requirements for each crop, harvesting and seed saving. To further consolidate the learning of growing and dyeing with fresh dye plants, there is also a 4 day in person module in August (not mandatory), where you will have an opportunity to harvest process and dye with fresh blue bearing plants.