IMPORTANT: Due to the nature of the class's work with dyes, boiling water and outdoor excursions, please plan to wear suitable clothing for these kinds of activities (long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes).

“We took a week's dyeing class at Tierra Wools with Toni Broaddus.  It was a truly enjoyable and instructive experience.  We learned a lot.  

First of all, there was the hands-on training in boiling local plants to obtain dyes, how you lighten or darken the chosen colors according to dilution of the dye bath, how you over-dye, how you use cochineal and indigo, how you time the saturation of yarn in the various stages of the dye bath, dry the yarn and make it ready for use in weaving.  Beyond that, we spent part of an enjoyable day in the field harvesting plants in two different locations.

Beyond this, there was the pleasure of getting to know Toni.  She has the right mix of knowledge, practical savvy, experience and personal openness, with a good sense of humor so that the more laborious parts of the dyeing process move along smoothly.  She is patient and understanding and encouraging: everything you'd want in an instructor, and she is an expert in the work she does.  She is also an accomplished weaver, so you could say she has personal knowledge of both ends of the weaving process: the dyeing and the drying and the weaving.  We strongly recommend this course to anybody interested in the process of dyeing with natural plants, cochineal and indigo.”

~ Joan and Barry Cotter