Introduction to Botanical Printing Workshop

Create a beautiful silk scarf using natural plants and leaves.


Debbie Tomkies
Debbie Tomkies
5.0 (2)

3 hours Class size 3 to 12 guests       £50 (PayPal Pay in 3 available)

Introductions

Introductions

Meet your fellow students and hear about the plants and how they print.


Decorate your scarf

Decorate Your Scarf

Select your plants, leaves and flowers and arrange them on your scarf.


On a roll!

On a Roll

Bundle your scarf tight, ready for steaming.


Hot hot hot!

Hot Hot Hot

Your scarf will be steamed to release the natural colours and tannins in your plants and to make your design permanent.


The reveal!

The Reveal

Unwrap your scarf and admire your results!


In this workshop, you will use a range of readily available leaves and plants to create fabulous prints on fabrics. You will learn how to find the best plants for printing and explore different ways to create prints, sampling and experimenting on cotton fabric. Using your samples for ideas and inspiration, you will apply your newfound knowledge to print a beautiful silk scarf to take home.
Botanical printing (also referred to as eco-printing, bundling, and contact printing) is a way to transfer the intricate shapes, outlines, colours, and textures of plants and leaves from the leaf directly to fabric or paper. We will be using locally sourced plant materials and natural dye extracts to create beautiful colours and patterns on your luxurious silk scarf.
We will explore how different results may be obtained by using naturally occurring tannins, mordants, and modifiers, as well as combining with other natural dyes and dyestuffs. Fun, inexpensive, and easy to do at home, it is as exciting and magical as it is unpredictable!
What you'll get
You will be taking home a luxurious, long silk scarf and small fabric samples.
Knowledge required
This course is suitable for complete beginners and is also a great refresher for those who may already have some experience.
What to bring
There is no need to bring anything, as we provide all the materials and equipment.
Location

A4 Studios, Grosvenor Road, Altrincham WA14 1LE

Introduction to Botanical Printing Workshop location
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Debbie Tomkies
Debbie Tomkies

5.0 (2)
female Women-owned

Hi, I’m Debbie, and I’ve been obsessed with yarn and colour for as long as I can remember. I learned to knit as a child, sold my first designs when I was 14, and I’ve basically had pointy sticks in my hands ever since (with a brief detour into Classics at uni and a dozen years working as a tax specialist — but that’s another story!).
These days, I spend my time writing, teaching and designing around all things textiles. I’ve written a handful of books, including 250 Knitting Stitches and Complete Knitting Skills, and for years I’ve written technique features and answered readers’ trickiest knitting questions for magazines like Knit Now and Simply Knitting. I also co-run DT Craft & Design, an online and mail-order textile arts business.
Teaching is one of my big passions — whether it’s running workshops in knitting, crochet, dyeing, felting or screen-printing. I’ve taught at places like Manchester Museum, the Knitting & Stitching Show, and guilds across the UK, and I love watching people discover just how creative they can be. I am also the tutor for our distance learning City & Guilds accredited design and handknitting programmes.
Along the way, I’ve popped up on BBC Radio Manchester, featured in Craft Business, and even appeared on BBC One’s Glorious Gardens from Above to talk about natural dyeing. I’ve also been involved in research projects, like recreating an 1815 dyeing manual with Leeds Industrial Museum.
And when I’m not teaching, writing or experimenting in the dyepot, you’ll still usually find me knitting — it’s both my work and my happy place.

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2026-06-12 15:00:00
class 1E57MXLBSX b30fa37a8c654059964d2a78c24cea95 production manchester Manchester North West GB manchester