The Natural Dye Garden
September 19 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
| $50Event Navigation
Join fiber farmer, fiber artist, and natural dye grower, Eileen Flanagan, for a hands-on workshop exploring the colorful world of dye gardening. Growing plants for natural dyes is a rewarding way to combine gardening, creativity, and traditional craft while discovering the surprising range of colors that can be produced from your own backyard.
In this interactive class, you’ll learn about popular dye plants, their growing requirements, and how to create a diverse natural color palette using flowers, leaves, and other plant materials. We’ll also explore the basics of the natural dyeing process, along with a touch of the history and creative possibilities of botanical dyes.
Participants will gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience creating a botanically printed silk scarf using fresh dye plants and flowers from Eileen’s garden in Vassalboro. Everyone will leave with a unique hand-printed scarf and the inspiration to start growing their own dye garden. This workshop will take place at the UMaine Gardens at Tidewater Farm, 200 Presumpscot Point Rd, Falmouth, ME 04105. Registration is required and the program fee is $50 per person.
More about the speaker: Eileen Flanagan is a fiber farmer, fiber artist, and natural dye grower based in Vassalboro, Maine, where she and her husband John have farmed 70 acres since 2018, raising sheep, chickens, and ducks alongside vegetables and natural dye plants. She sells at local farmers markets, offering vegetables, seedlings, dye stuffs, and naturally dyed and upcycled goods. Her fiber art practice draws on the full arc of her farm work — from raising animals and growing dye plants to spinning, dyeing, and creating finished pieces. Before turning her full attention to the farm, she enjoyed a 30-year career in community and economic development. Her work brings together a deep love of the land, sustainable practice, and the centuries-old art of growing and using natural dyes.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Pamela Hargest at pamela.hargest@maine.edu or 207.949.4524.
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