Six Months of Seed to Skein - The Growing-Led Natural Dye Membership
Six months ago, I opened the doors to Seed to Skein - my membership community that combines my passion and knowledge of growing and dyeing with plants.
I had an idea to create the kind of natural dye community I wished had existed when I first began growing and working with dye plants. Not just a place to learn dye recipes, but somewhere to understand the whole journey of plant-based colour - from sowing tiny seeds, to harvesting flowers, to dyeing beautiful yarn with plants you've grown yourself.
Half a year in, a wonderful community is forming, and members are really reaping the fruits of their labours.
Looking back at our first six months
July’s exclusive dye recipe - an inky green-blue with Scabious ‘Black Knight’
Since the launch in March, we've followed the dye garden through almost an entire growing season together.
Members have joined me for seed sowing, pricking out seedlings, potting on young plants, planting out into the garden and, finally, harvesting our first colourful crops. Alongside these seasonal tasks and my monthly video garden updates, we've explored the foundations of natural dyeing with tutorials, monthly dye recipes and deep dives designed to build confidence rather than overwhelm.
Here’s just a small selection of the things we’ve covered so far:
Seasonal dye garden jobs from spring through late summer
Dyeing with nettles, weld, scabious ‘Black Knight’ and coreopsis
The different categories of natural dyes, and how to choose the right dye for your project
Preparing yarn, mordanting and modifiers
Creative variegated yarn dyeing techniques
Setting up your natural dyeing workspace
Plus many more written guides, videos and seasonable recipes to revisit at any time
One of the things I wanted most was for the membership to become a library as much as a monthly programme, meaning it’s somewhere you can dip in whenever you have time, rather than feeling you've missed the boat.
One of the best parts has been the community
While I'm incredibly proud of the tutorials, videos and long-form content I’ve created so far, the real success of Seed to Skein has been the people.
Watching members excitedly share their seeds germinate, their first harvests, compare dye results, troubleshoot experiments and celebrate each other's successes in the private Discord channel has been such a joy. It's become a genuinely supportive space where questions are encouraged, curiosity is celebrated and everyone is learning together - myself included!
Earlier this month, we had our first online meetup, where members shared their growing spaces, dye experiments, successes and failures, and got to know each other a little better. At the end of the growing season, we’ll have another online meetup to review our experiences, learn from each other and plan for the next one!
Isn't it too late to join?
You may be thinking that joining a growing-led membership this late in the summer may not be worth it. But really, it could be the best time to join.
There's a huge amount to learn before spring arrives: understanding fibres, preparing yarn, mordanting correctly, learning the chemistry behind natural dyes and planning a dye garden that actually suits your space. You can work through the first six months of tutorials at your own pace, without feeling rushed. With new content being added each month, even over the colder months, there’s always an opportunity to learn.
And the growing season certainly isn't over. Late summer and early autumn are the perfect time to sow some biennials and hardy annuals for next year's colour, giving your new dye garden a wonderful head start.
Looking ahead to the next six months
As the garden begins to slow down, Seed to Skein won't.
We'll be moving into seed saving, foraging , winter garden jobs, planning and plenty more dye techniques that don't depend on fresh flowers. There's still so much to explore.
Thank you to everyone who's joined me for this first chapter. Whether you've been here since day one or you're thinking of joining now, I'm excited for what we'll grow together next.
If you've been considering Seed to Skein, there's now a rich library of six months of tutorials, recipes and seasonal guides waiting for you - plus a wonderfully welcoming community to share the journey with.
Come and join me in the garden, and let’s grow some colour together!
As a member of Seed to Skein, you'll receive five pieces of unique content each month to help you grow natural dyes and create beautiful naturally dyed yarns. Alongside the content you'll have access to a private Discord community where you can share updates, ask questions, and learn from each other. New content is released on the second Monday of each month.