We introduce you to weavers of wool, cotton and silk who work with organic natural dyes. This one-day educational study tour gives you in-depth knowledge about the artisanal process for making hand-woven cloth using sustainable technologies. We visit home studios and workshops to meet some of Oaxaca’s outstanding weavers in this curated day trip. See the real indigo, cochineal and wild marigold dye process. Meet artisans who create beautiful rugs and clothing.
Schedule your dates directly with Norma Schafer.
You reserve for the dates you prefer. This is designed as a private program. You are welcome to organize your own small group. We will do our best to match your travel schedule with our availability.
Oaxaca has many talented weavers working on different types of looms: the two-harness pedal loom, the flying shuttle loom and the back-strap loom. They create many different types of cloth from wool, cotton and silk – to use, wear and walk on.
The yarns or threads can be hand-woven and made into tapestry carpets or wall hangings. They might become lighter weight garments such as shawls, ponchos and scarves or fashion accessories and home goods like handbags, travel bags, blankets, throws and pillow covers.
Natural grey wool and dried cochineal bugs
Most weavers dye their material using pre-mixed commercial dyes. Some buy their yarns pre-dyed. This streamlines and simplifies the production process, making the finished piece less costly. Often, there are wide quality differences.
A growing number of weavers are going back to their indigenous roots and working in natural dyes. They use a time-consuming process to gather the dye materials, prepare them with tested recipes, dye the yarns and then weave them into cloth. These colors are vibrant and long-lasting. There is a premium for this type of hand work.
Dyeing and then weaving can take weeks and months, depending upon the finished size of the textile and type of weaving process used.
Preparing indigo for the dye pot — first crush it to powder
For each visit, we will select artisans who live and work in small villages scattered in the countryside around Oaxaca where families have co-created together for generations to prepare the yarn and weave it.
Natural dyes we will investigate include plant materials like nuts, wild marigold, fruit (pomegranate, persimmon, zapote negro), wood bark and indigo.
Shades of cochineal — a full range of color
Another important dye source is cochineal, which is the parasite that feeds on the prickly pear cactus. The Spanish kept the cochineal secret well hidden for over 400 years, calling it grana cochineal or grain, so that English and Italian competitors could not detect its source.
Cochineal dye bath — the most vibrant red of the natural world
During this one-day outing, we will visit four weavers, see complete natural demonstrations of yarns and threads, learn about over-dyeing to get a full rainbow of colors, and savor the beautiful results that master weavers create.
We may not always visit the same weavers on each tour, based on their availability. At each home studio you will see some of the steps that go into the completed process. By the end of the day, you will have gained a fuller understanding of the difference between natural and commercial dyed cloth as well as the various weaving techniques. This will help you become a more educated collector, able to discern nuances in fiber and dye quality.
Ikat wool rebozo colored with zapote negro (black persimmon) and cochineal
More than this, you will learn about the local culture, the family enterprise of weaving, how weavers source their materials, the dedication to keeping this ancient practice alive. You will see how using natural dyes is a small-batch, organic and environmentally sustainable process. And, you will try your hand in the dye pot and at the loom, too, if you like.
Squeezing fresh lime juice for the acid dye bath — turns cochineal bright orange
During this complete one-day study tour you will:
- Meet master weavers and their families in their home workshop/studio
- See the raw materials used for coloring wool, cotton and silk
- Watch the weaving process and try your hand (and feet) at the fixed frame 2-harness pedal loom and flying shuttle loom — if you wish
- Discuss the origin of cochineal, its impact on world trade and its many uses today
- Learn how to tell the difference between dyed fibers – are they natural or chemical?
- Observe processes for dyeing with indigo, cochineal, wild marigold and other organic materials
- Understand quality differences and what makes a superior product
- Discover the meaning of the various designs, some taken from ancient codices
- Receive a Resource Guide and Glossary to take with you
- Have an opportunity to shop, if you choose, at the source
- Order a customized size, if you prefer
You are under no obligation to buy.
Zapote negro fruit in a dye bath waiting for wool
This is an educational study tour to give you more in-depth knowledge about the weaving and natural dye process. We offer a stipend to the weavers who take part to compensate them for their knowledge, time and materials. This is included in your tour fee.
Weavers do not pay commissions on any purchases made and 100% of any sales go directly to them.
Also consider these educational options:
About Norma Schafer, your study tour leader
Norma Schafer has organized educational programs and workshops in Oaxaca since 2006 through Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC. She is an educator, not a tour guide, and is recognized for her knowledge about textiles and natural dyes.
Nina wears a quechquemitl woven with cochineal dyed cotton
Norma is living in the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, since she retired from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011. Before that, she made frequent visits each year beginning in 2005. Norma has access to off-the-tourist-path small production family workshops where the “manufacturing” process is vertical and hand-made.
- Earned the B.A. in history from California State University at Northridge
- Holds the M.S. in business administration from the University of Notre Dame
- 30-year career in higher education administration and program development
- Created/produced international award-winning programs at Indiana University, University of Virginia, George Washington University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Recognized by the International University Continuing Education Association for outstanding educational program development
- Founder/creator of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC arts workshops/study tours in 2006
- Founder/author of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator blog in 2007
- Learned to weave and use natural dyes as a graduate student in San Francisco too many years ago to count!
- Has a personal collection of more than 100 textiles made with natural dyes
- Consultant to textile designers, wholesalers and retailers who want to include sustainable, organic textiles in their body of work and inventory
- Consultant on tourism/economic development, State of Guanajuato, Mexico Office of Tourism
- Embedded in the cultural and social history of Oaxaca’s Zapotec village life
Note: From time-to-time, we will invite other distinguished and knowledgeable natural dye experts to join us or to substitute for Norma to lead the study tour, based upon schedules and availability. If Norma is not available on the date(s) you request, we will give you the option to take the study tour with another qualified leader.
Pricing is for a 6-7 hour day. Customized programs on request. The rate constititutes the time you arrive to and depart from Teotitlan del Valle.
- 1 or 2 people, $200 USD flat rate total, includes lunch
- 3 to 4 people, $95 USD per person total, includes lunch
- 5 to 8 people, $90 USD per person total, includes lunch
- For larger groups, please contact us for special pricing
Includes transportation from/to Oaxaca city to our meeting place in Teotitlan del Valle, and lunch. Please let us know if you need vegetarian options. We will pre-order a tasting menu that includes a fresh fruit drink (agua fresca). Alcoholic beverages are at your own expense.
Schedule your dates directly with Norma Schafer. We will do our best to accommodate your requests.
Reservations and Cancellations
We require a 50% deposit with PayPal (we will send an invoice) to reserve with the balance due on the day of the tour in USD or MXN pesos (at the current conversion rate). The PayPal amount billed will be based on the number of people you reserve for.
If you decide to cancel up to 30 days before the study tour, we will refund 50% of your deposit. If you reduce the number of people in your party with 30 days notice, we will pro-rate the deposit and offer a 50% refund for the number of cancelations.
After 30 days before your scheduled study tour, your deposit is not refundable. We will have made transportation arrangements and secured the dates/times with the weavers, plus paid them a stipend in advance for participating. We have learned, living in Mexico, that it is essential to keep commitments to sustain relationships. Thank you for understanding.
Folded pedal looms waiting for the next project
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop Day 2: Cochineal Red and More
Taking this Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop is a study in color creativity. On this second day of three, we prepare cochineal, the parasitic insect that lives on the prickly pear cactus paddle. The chemical interaction between the female bug and the cactus juice produces carminic acid.
Cochineal dyed cotton, ready for the weaver’s loom
This is the most intense and color-fast red in the natural world.
When the Spanish came to Oaxaca in 1521 they were amazed to see the deep red used to dye feathers and to paint codices, human bodies or plaster temple walls.
Lava stone mortar and pestle used only to crush dried cochineal
They called it grana cochineal, naming it a grain not an insect to disguise its origin. The Spanish kept cochineal a secret for hundreds of years, holding the world monopoly on its production and distribution. It was the third most valuable export commodity after gold and silver.
Rhiannon and Elsa strain the cochineal concentrate for the dye pot
Today, natural carminic acid colors cosmetics such as lipstick, and foods and beverages like Campari, fruit juices, jello and even meat.
Dyeing wool samples with cochineal and acid (lime juice)
Cochineal is expensive, about $125 USD or 1,800 pesos for a kilo. It can’t be wasted. That’s why Elsa grinds her dried bugs that she buys from El Tlapanochestli Cochineal Farm. You can buy packages of dried bugs for dyeing at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca gift shop.
Skeins dyed with pomegranate (granada) and wild marigold hang to dry
She grinds them to a very fine powder in a molcajete. This is a lava stone mortar and pestle. It must be very fine powder to dissolve completely in the dye bath. The finer the powder the less waste there will be.
Squeezing fresh lime juice for the acid dye bath — turns cochineal bright orange
Skein of wool dyed with wild marigold (pericone) leaves, stems and flowers
There is so much preparation even before the dyeing process begins. It’s no wonder textiles made with natural dyes cost so much! First, there is the investment in stainless steel and enamel dye pots, much more expensive than iron or aluminum, but essential so the pot chemistry doesn’t change the dye color.
Rhiannon preps a shibori scarf while waiting for cochineal dye bath to finish
Then, you have to make your recipes. What color red do you want? Deep fuchsia, orange, hot pink, magenta? Your recipe will vary depending on color intensity. You may add more water, more lime juice (acid) or baking soda (neutral).
Dyeing sample cloth with brazil wood
Next, you’ll wash your fiber in soapy water to open up the fibers to clean it and accept the mordant. You rinse the fibers several time to take out the soap and then hang it to dry.
Rhiannon and Elsa hold finished shibori — to be dyed with indigo
You will leave the cleaned fiber (we used wool) in the mordant overnight. This helps the wool absorb the dye.
On this second day, with the wool ready, we prepare the cochineal and then select the white and grey skeins to dye.
Mahogany (caoba) bark makes a beautiful peach dye
In addition, on this second day we also experiment dyeing with caoba (mahogany) and palo de Brazil (brazil wood).
Shibori is dye resist technique. Here, marbles and rubber bands make the design.
The cochineal dye pot is ready at 90 degrees centigrade. It takes an hour to cook the skeins so they absorb the right amount of color. During this time, we prepare wild marigold, mahogany, brazil wood, and pomegranate. Most of these skeins will be over dyed on Day Three to yield 32 different colors.
It’s no wonder the Spanish loved this color! Red on white and grey wool.
I write about natural dyes because Oaxaca has a long tradition of using colors derived from the natural world. I also want to encourage Oaxaca visitors to seek out and support artisans who work in natural dyes.
We determine color by weight of fiber (WOF) to amount of dye — chemistry!
I hope readers will better understand the labor involved to make textiles using this technique. Yes, the textile will cost more. Perhaps you agree that its subtle beauty will be worth it.
Wool in a pomegranate dye bath
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Textiles, Tapestries & Weaving, Workshops and Retreats
Tagged brazil wood, carminic acid, class, Cochineal, colors, course, fiber arts, mahogany, marigold, Mexico, natural dyes, Oaxaca, pomegranate, textiles, workshop