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Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops

Posted on Monday, January 4, 2016 | 18 comments

Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops can be scheduled at your convenience whenever you plan to visit Oaxaca. Of course, this depends on instructor 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.

You will take home recipes/formulas for each dye and a wool sampler of colors you make during the workshop. The sample includes 5 grams of each color. This is a workshop to learn the process. If you want to bring your own wool to dye, the cost is 10 pesos per gram extra with a maximum of 10 grams per color.

Featuring private and small group workshops.

The Complete 3-day Workshop (32 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 30 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 scarf design, 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.

Private workshop fee is $470 USD for one person. $425 per person for two or more people.

The 2-day Workshop (11 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 11 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 an indigo dye vat and then use the wool you dyed on Day 1 to make over dyes that will yield purples and greens.

Private workshop fee is $290 for one person. $265 per person for two or more people.

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, start the mordant process, and prepared extracts of cochineal as you change the pH of the dye vat to yield 12 different colors of red.

Private workshop fee is $235 for one person. $195 per person for two or more people.

One-day Indigo Dye Workshop—click here for details and complete description

How to Register and Pay: Send Norma Schafer an email to tell us your preferred dates. We will check about available dates and let you know. Then, you tell us you are ready to register.

A 25% non-refundable deposit will confirm your registration. The balance is due on the first day of the workshop in cash (USD or pesos, or you can use a credit card with a 4% service fee).

We will send you a payment request using Zelle bank transfer with NO SERVICE FEE. Tell us how your account is registered — email address or phone number.
You can use a credit card to pay with a 4% service fee. We will invoice you.
Tell us which payment method you prefer.
Once we receive the deposit, we confirm and send you directions.
You pay the balance due in cash (US Dollars or Mexican Pesos at the exchange rate of the day) on the day of the workshop.

Notes:

Days must be taken in sequence. If there is a group of 4 or more people, we can offer a group price. Please contact us.
Lunch is on your own. You can bring a lunch or go out in the neighborhood.
Please bring your own drinks and snacks.
We give directions to the workshop after you register and pay the registration fees.
Please, no children under the age of 15.

About Your Instructor: The workshop instructor is a knowledgeable expert in the natural dye process and materials. She provides dyed wool and cotton yarns and thread for many of Oaxaca’s famous weavers and textile designers, and she works with textile designers worldwide to offer customized colors that are used in fashion and home goods.

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.