Saturday 3rd October - 10am-1pm - Creative Space Bristol

Explore the world of natural dyes in this half day workshop with Bristol textile designer and natural dyer Ria Burns. With Ria’s help, you’ll learn how to naturally dye a selection of British wool yarns with homegrown and foraged plants, and food waste.

On the day you’ll work with a range of different yarns of varying breeds and weights, including Ria's bespoke Somerset lambswool yarn, to give you a range of vibrant naturally dyed shades. Ria particularly focuses on using low impact, sustainable materials, and will share their wide knowledge of natural dyeing with you throughout the workshop.

You’ll leave with several mini skeins of your own custom dyed yarn for knitting, crochet or weaving to create a completely unique piece. With Ria’s help you’ll also have the skills to go on to naturally dye yarn at home.

Yarn, materials and handouts are provided but please bring an apron (or clothes you don’t mind getting a bit messy) and a notebook.

NEW STUDENT AND LOW WAGE DISCOUNT: Students and those on a low wage can save 15% off the ticket price of this or any other workshop using the code CONC15

This workshop will be held at Creative Space, 39 High Street, Staple Hill, BS16 5HD). The venue is accessible by public transport and there is free on street parking nearby.

Cancellation policy: We will provide a full refund for cancellations who give at least 7 days notice. If shorter notice is given, a refund will be offered if a replacement can be found for your place. As the number of students on this workshop is intentionally small, we reserve the right to cancel this workshop if there are not enough attendees - we will ensure plenty of notice is given if this occurs.

One-to-one machine workshops at my home studio in Congresbury, North Somerset are available to book from August-October 2026.

Would you like to learn how to use a knitting machine and make your own knitwear or textiles? Over a 4 hour one-to-one lesson I will teach you the basics and advise on the various knitting machines that are available to buy secondhand and new. You’ll leave with a variety of swatches, full instructions and a full brain ready to start your machine knitting journey!

Alternatively, if you already have some machine knitting experience and are looking to improve your skills, I can tailor a workshop to suit your needs, covering anything from pattern cutting to punch card pattern design.

I generally teach on Brother machines, but am also adept at teaching on Knitmasters. I have both brands of machine in the studio for you to try out, but you are more than welcome to bring your own machine to the studio to use during the workshop.

Tea, coffee and some snacks will be provided during the workshop but please bring a packed lunch.

This workshops take place at my home studio (Woodlands, Smallway, Congresbury, BS49 5AA) on selected Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm. Parking is available at the studio and it’s accessible by public transport.

The time of the workshop can be altered to anytime between 10am-5pm, please leave a note upon booking if you wish to do so.

Please fill in the booking questionnaire to the best of your abilities - this helps me to tailor the session to your needs.

Other days of the week can be arranged with advanced notice. If you wish to arrange a different date, send me an email at hello@riaburns.co.uk to discuss this before purchasing, then choose ’Custom Date’ from the drop down menu.

You can also buy this workshop as a gift - please choose ‘Gift Purchase’ from the drop down menu.

STUDENT AND LOW WAGE DISCOUNT: Students and those on a low wage can save 15% off the ticket price of any workshop bookable via this website using the code CONC15

Learn the art of natural dyeing in a bespoke one-to-one workshop

One-to-one natural dyeing tuition at my home studio in Congresbury, North Somerset is now available to book from August-October 2026.

Would you like to learn the foundations of natural dyeing, or finally get to grips with a technique that’s been puzzling you?

In this personalised, one-day workshop at my North Somerset home studio, I’ll guide you through exactly what you want to learn - whether that’s the complete basics or a more specialised process such as indigo dyeing.

My fully equipped dye studio provides everything you need, making this the perfect opportunity to explore natural dyeing without the expense of setting up a space at home. It’s a dedicated, creative space, meaning there’s plenty of room to experiment (and make a bit of a mess!).

By the end of the day, you’ll leave with a collection of samples, detailed notes, a head full of ideas, and the confidence to continue your natural dye practice at home.

Because this is a fully bespoke workshop, we’ll work at your pace and tailor the day to suit your interests, experience, and learning style.

A wide range of natural fibre fabrics, yarns and dye materials will be available to use during the day, and if you’re visiting in the summer months, we can even harvest and work with fresh dye plants from the garden.

You’re also very welcome to bring along your own plants or textiles to experiment with during the day.

Upon booking, a pop-up will appear with a questionnaire. Please fill this in to the best of your abilities as this helps me to tailor the session to your needs. After booking, I’ll send you an email to discuss the plan for the day.

If you have any questions before booking about what I can offer in a workshop - please email me at hello@riaburns.co.uk

This workshop takes place at my home studio (Woodlands, Smallway, Congresbury, BS49 5AA) on selected Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-4pm.

Parking is available at the studio and it’s accessible by public transport.

Tea, coffee and some snacks will be provided during the workshop but please bring a packed lunch.

Other days of the week can be arranged with advanced notice. If you wish to arrange a different date, send me an email at hello@riaburns.co.uk to discuss this before purchasing, then choose ’Custom Date’ from the drop down menu.

You can also buy this workshop as a gift - please choose ‘Gift Purchase’ from the drop down menu.

STUDENT AND LOW WAGE DISCOUNT: Students and those on a low wage can save 15% off the ticket price of any workshop bookable via this website using the code CONC15