BOOK A WORKSHOP WITH ELSA
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops can be scheduled at your convenience whenever you plan to visit Oaxaca. Of course, this depends on our availability, too. Ideally, we would like at least two or more weeks advance notice to schedule a workshop on the dates you prefer.
The one, two or three-day workshops, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, are held in the historic center of Oaxaca city. The location is within a five minute taxi ride from the Zocalo or you can choose to walk 20-minutes to get there. We send map and directions after you register and pay your deposit.
All workshops include instruction, materials and recipes.
Featuring private and small group workshops.
The 1-Day Workshop: Cochineal Only
From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm you will start the mordant process, discuss natural dyes in Oaxaca, and prepared extracts of cochineal as you change the pH of the dye vat to yield 12 different colors of red.
What´s included:
5 hours of private workshop with Q&A
12 wool skeins for sampler
All mordants, tools, and dye materials for the workshop
Recipes to replicate step by step
One-Day Indigo Dye Workshop
From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. You grind the indigo into powder and prepare the dye bath, learning at least two different recipes and the history of indigo in Oaxaca. You will experiment with a shibori technique and solid color dyeing on cotton. If you wish, you can bring a small amount of linen or silk to experiment with, too. You will have a choice of making napkins, a table runner or a scarf.
What´s included:
5 hours of private workshop with Q&A
6 wool skeins for sampler
1 piece of cotton to dye with shibori technique
All mordants, tools, and dye materials for the workshop
Recipes to replicate step by step
The 2-day Workshop (18 colors)
Day 1: 10:00 am to about 3:00 pm — First you begin to understand the natural dye process by first applying a mordant to the white wool. This takes time, and we wait until the wool is sufficiently “cooked” so that you can prepare it to create 18 different colors. You will then dye with pericon (wild marigold) and pomegranate, and make an extract of cochineal (acid and neutral).
Day 2: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm — You will prepare brazilwood and indigo dye vat and then use the wool you dyed on Day 1 to make over dyes that will yield purples and greens.
What´s included:
10 hours of private workshop with Q&A
Dyes: cochineal, indigo, wild marigold, pomegranate, brazilwood and over-dyes.
18 wool skeins for sampler
All mordants, tools, and dye materials for the workshop
Recipes to replicate step by step
The Complete 3-day Workshop (36 colors)
Day 1–Prep for the Process: 10:00 am to about 3:00 pm — This is a preparation day. You will prepare grey and white wool with a mordant, in order to achieve 36 different colors on Day 2 and Day 3! We will talk about natural dyes in Oaxaca, and make the extract of pericón (wild marigold) and pomegranate.
Day 2–Red, Yellow, Brown: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm — You dye with pomegranate and pericón (wild marigold), then prepare extracts of cochineal (acid and neutral), the insect that produces carminic acid to give an intense, colorfast red.
Day 3–Rainbows & Overdyes: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm — You will prepare an indigo vat, make a shibori design on a piece of cotton, then dye with indigo to get various shades of blue. With an indigo over-dye, you will get a range of purples and greens to master the color variations.
What´s included:
15 hours of private workshop with Q&A
Dyes: pH shifting to achiever various shades from cochineal, indigo, wild marigold, pomegranate, brazilwood, overdyes.
36 wool skeins with for sampler (includes two natural undyed variations)
All mordants, tools, and dye materials for the workshop
Recipes to replicate step by step
HOW TO REGISTER AND PAY
Click the BOOK YOUR DATE button, all prices are listed in the menu of options, choose your preferred workshop and fill the format with your preferred date and we will contact you. Then, you tell us if you are ready to register.
1. We send you a PayPal payment request for a non-refundable 25% deposit with a 3% service fee added.
2. OR you can send a payment with Zelle bank transfer with NO SERVICE FEE
3. Tell us which payment method you prefer.
4. Once we receive the deposit, we confirm and send you directions.
5. You pay the balance due on the day of the workshop.
Reservations and Refund Policy. To reserve, we require a 25% non-refundable registration fee. The balance is due on the first day of the workshop payable in CASH in either USD or MXN pesos at the exchange rate of the day.