SHARE:
THE COLORS THAT REMEMBER
“Color holds memory,” Rosa Chang observes, her hands familiar with the subtle, shifting alchemy of plants.
Rosa Chang works at a different pace. One set by the slow fermentation of an indigo vat, the seasonal pull of the earth, and the quiet weight of ancestral memory. A first-generation Korean immigrant, artist, and researcher moving between Baltimore and New York, she approaches natural dyeing as restoration. It is a way back to place, a record of identity, and a practice of close attention to the living world.
Chang developed her curriculum, Mindful Colors, out of a desire to share Korean and East Asian natural dye traditions as living practices rather than isolated techniques. Her work has been recognized widely, including through her award-winning children’s book My Indigo World and her teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She also serves as Executive Director of Hand Papermaking, Inc.
This August she brings that perspective to Sanborn Mills Farm for a five-day workshop. Mindful Colors: Natural Dyes and Sustainable Textiles from Korea and Beyond invites participants into the full cycle of natural color. Students will prepare living indigo vats, explore shibori and soy resist patterning, practice Bojagi hand-stitching, and experiment with papermaking from dye residues. Many materials will come directly from the farm’s dye garden, allowing makers to move between garden and studio in one setting.
The workshop runs August 26–30, 2026 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM).
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Introduction to Spinning Art Yarn
Aug 8
Tricia Hunt
Tricia Hunt has been spinning yarn for over 40 years and brings a joyful, intuitive approach to breaking out of spinning ruts. In this one-day workshop on August 8, students who already spin a basic yarn will learn to create structurally sound, imaginative art yarns full of color and texture using both combed top and carded batts. Techniques include thick and thin slubs, spiral plying, coils, beehives and supercoils, corespinning, wrapping, add-ins such as beads, lockspinning, and bobble yarn. You will leave with fresh ideas for combining these techniques into one-of-a-kind yarns you can actually use in your own knitting and weaving projects. The class is perfect for makers ready to trust their creative instincts and spin outside the box.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY: 2 SPOTS LEFT
Flower Arrangements from the Field and Garden
Aug 14
Helen Westergren
Helen Westergren leads a one-day immersion on August 8 that steeps students in the rich history of wild, seasonal, and naturalistic floral design while working directly with flowers grown and foraged at Sanborn Mills Farm. The morning is spent exploring the gardens and learning how to grow, harvest, and select plants suited for cutting. In the afternoon participants translate that inspiration into table arrangements, exploring basic design principles, color theory, and techniques that maximize vase life. No prior experience is required. Students leave with a finished vase arrangement, a hand-tied bouquet of their own design, and a newly attuned eye for what makes a flower truly vase-worthy.
Harvesting Color
Aug 21 – Aug 23
Sara Goodman
Lead dye studio instructor Sara Goodman guides students through the creation of an extensive personal color library in this three-day workshop. Participants will prepare cloth with proper scouring and mordanting, harvest flowers, leaves, nuts, bark, roots, and even food scraps from the Sanborn Mills dye garden, then create dye baths and explore modifications with pH changes, iron after-baths, and indigo overdyeing. Students leave with approximately fifty 5-inch sample swatches across five fibers and the knowledge to continue harvesting and experimenting with natural color at home. The class welcomes those seeking a deeper, more sustainable relationship with plant-based dyes.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY: Only 1 SPOT LEFT
Botanical Alchemy: Exploring Extraction Methods for Natural Dyes and Lake Pigments
July 29 – Aug 2
Artist and educator Natalie Stopka leads a five-day deep dive into how dye plants function as remarkable factories of color. Inspired by historical recipes, participants will explore four extraction methods (digestion, decoction, fermentation, and tincture) using plants from the dye garden and beyond. The workshop functions as a case study in how extraction influences dyeing and pigment making, with students documenting more than sixteen extractions in a provided laboratory notebook and completing a personal project such as ink, paint, or dyed fibers. Some prior experience with dyes or pigments is preferred.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY: 2 SPOTS LEFT
Spoon Carving
Aug 1 – Aug 2
Eric Goodson
Carver and woodturner Eric Goodson introduces the rewarding world of greenwood carving and Swedish slöjd in this two-day workshop. Students will carve one or more spoons while learning wood selection, grain orientation, spoon design and ergonomics, safe ax technique, and a variety of knife grips that make carving efficient and enjoyable. The class also covers stretches to relieve hand fatigue, finishing oils, paints, and decorative techniques such as chip carving and kolrosing. No experience is necessary, and loaner tools are available. All students receive a spoon template to continue making at home.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY: ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT
Sanborn Mills Farm | 7097 Sanborn Road | Loudon, NH 03307 US