Naturally dyed goods, historically authentic colours and research into past and future use of natural dyes.

We are a small group of friends and family who have combined our varied skills to produce organic, vibrantly coloured naturally dyed goods. Our dye house, workshop and demonstration garden is based next to the Thames, at Hardwick Estate in Oxfordshire, where we also graze our conservation flock of fleece sheep. In addition, we have a mobile demonstration dye house and shop that travels to events across the country.

We are an environmentally minded organisation that wishes to promote the use of natural dyes. We aim to tread lightly on the earth and are always seeking ways to make our small scale business as ethical and responsible as possible. We grow and gather most of our dye stuffs from our garden and the organic estate on which we are based. Dye stuffs from elsewhere are sourced as responsibly as possible. We use water from our well for dyeing and rinsing which is recycled into withy beds. Our flock of Shetland and Shetland x Gotland sheep are a key part of managing the incredibly biodiverse chalk grassland here alongside providing fleece for our range of felting wool, felted sheepskin rugs and homespun yarn. We also dye British wool socks, produced entirely in the UK by Arbon Socks.

We have carried out extensive research into traditional, archaeological and potential future use and production of natural dyes in the UK. We are also happy to research any questions posed that we cannot currently answer, with a view to rediscovering lost techniques and adding to a greater understanding and promotion of ethical textile manufacture in the future. We can also provide practical help and resources for reconstructions of textile related archaeological finds.

We have learnt a lot over the years and are more than happy to share. We give talks, demonstrations and run a range of beginner and technical workshops. We also run longer courses which aim to cover the deeper mysteries and mastery of natural dyeing.

To find out more about our workshops and courses check Upcoming Events or if you would like to be added to our mailing list or to book us for your event, please contact us.
To purchase naturally dyed British wool socks, dyestuffs, dye plants, seeds or naturally dyed felting or spinning wool from our lovely sheep, tablet weaving yarn, embroidery and knitting silk, please visit our Shop We also still have a few products e.g.  one range of embroidery silk still only available on our Etsy Shop. If you order from both shops at the same time we will pack your orders together and refund excess postage.