From Seed to Quilt: the alchemy of homegrown natural dyes and quilts

In this workshop, we will study the slow alchemy of cultivating natural color from seed to harvest to dye pot. We will work mainly with natural dyes grown at Sanborn Mills Farm and dyes that Sara has grown on her farm. The students will learn how to properly mordant and dye cellulose fabrics such as cotton, linen, and hemp, to achieve the most colorfast results for the application of quilt making. Once the fabrics have been dyed, students will be guided through the transformative process of patchwork, from design to making the first cut into the dyed fabric to the last binding stitch that holds it all together. The patchwork will be pieced with sewing machines and finished with hand-quilting stitches.

Skills and Techniques:

• Discussion of natural dye cultivation and harvest & curing
• How to scour, mordant, and naturally dye cellulose fabrics
• Quilt block design and construction
• Machine piecing
• Making a quilt sandwich
• Hand quilting
• Binding the quilt

Materials Fee: $150 – $175 paid directly to the instructor at the time of the workshop

Special Tools or Equipment: Cutting tools such as rotary cutters, mats, and clear acrylic quilter’s rulers, snips for cutting threads, sewing machines, cotton machine thread, seam ripper, marking tools such as a hera marker or water soluble fabric marker, iron, Fons & Porter ¼” seam marker ruler (optional but helpful).

Sanborn Mills Farm has a 2 sewing machines and 3 irons to loan out on a first come first served basis for those who travel by plane to the workshop. You could also use a small travel iron. Please contact marsha@sanbornmills.org to reserve.

Workshop Policies: Please be sure to read our 2025 policies before you register for a workshop which can be found here Workshop Policies