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Workshop pack

Onion skin dye

Preview pack generated by A New Field. Review, print or save as PDF.

A New Field

At a glance

Family

Dye bath

Difficulty

Beginner

Age

All ages (adult at the stove)

Active

60 min

Total

24 h

Yield

Dyes 100g fibre per 50g skins

One of the reliable household dyes. Brown onion skins give golden tones on wool and cotton.

Before the session

  1. Print the risk note and pin it on the wall
  2. Check allergens against your participant list
  3. Pre-warm the pan and prepare the first demo batch
  4. Lay out tools by station
  5. Set aside a quiet corner for rest phase

A minute by minute plan you can hand off.

Edit any phase. The host pack will update with your changes.

  1. Arrival and welcome

    10 min

    Participants arrive, take a seat, sign the allergen and consent sheet. Host introduces the session.

  2. Material walk

    15 min

    Host walks participants through the foraged material. Brief safety note and a demonstration of the first step.

  3. Making

    70 min

    Participants follow the recipe in pairs. Host circulates, checks pans, gives one-to-one support.

  4. Rest and science talk

    15 min

    While the material rests, the host runs a short science talk. Questions answered.

  5. Pack up and send-off

    10 min

    Participants wrap and take their piece home. Host hands out the participant handout.

Ingredients and equipment

Flexible slots

  • Pigment · 50g · e.g. Brown or red onion skins

Fixed ingredients

  • Water · 3L
  • Alum or iron modifier · Per dye tradition

Equipment

Large pan, sieve, stirring stick, bucket for dye bath.

Safety

Hot dye bath.

Variations

Swap for avocado skin (pink), turmeric (yellow), red cabbage (pH-sensitive lilac).

In the pack

  • Run sheet · Minute by minute phases with host prompts.
  • Shopping list · A consolidated shopping list with quantities for your group size.
  • Risk note · An adaptable risk note you can hand to your venue.
  • Participant handout · A double-sided A5 take-home with method and care notes.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

Generated by A New Field · anewfieldkits.com