Jane’s Journal
Natural Dyeing with Hawthorn: Four Colours from One Tree
Natural dyeing with hawthorn leaves and bark, a step-by-step guide to getting four colours from one plant, including iron modification. Shot in Scotland.
2 days ago
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A: A Close Look at the Textiles
I went to the Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A not expecting much. The textiles changed my mind. A close look at the fabrics, embroidery, and craft skill on show.
6 days ago
They Called It Matrons Wear: What 1950s Knitting Patterns Told Women to Be
I needed a summer cardigan and ended up in a 1950s book called Matrons Wear. What I found in there was interesting, and not just the patterns. Free download included.
1 week ago
How to Dye Wool with Nettles
2 weeks ago
A Maker’s Wardrobe: The Embroidered Waistcoat
Meta description: I bought this tweed waistcoat at 15 for less than a pound. Forty years later, I covered it in embroidery and started thinking hard about what handmade clothing really costs.
2 weeks ago
How to Mordant Wool for Natural Dyeing
Mordanting is the most important step in natural dyeing. Here's how to mordant wool with alum, what it is, why it works, and the full process step by step.
3 weeks ago
Natural Dyeing with Sweet Cicely
How to dye wool and linen with sweet cicely leaves. Bright yellow results, plus the history of a plant the Romans probably brought to Britain.
4 weeks ago
A New Series: Dyeing with Plants
Jane dyes textiles from her Scottish garden - plant first, colour second. An introduction to a series about working with what's actually there, not what you wish would grow.
1 month ago
A Remarkable Textile Exhibition in Paris (On Until July 2026)
I visited a Paris textile exhibition featuring 36 artists working with needlepoint, collage, tapestry and more. Here are the three that stopped me, and why their work matters.
1 month ago
Making a Bag from a UFO: 500 Years of Canvas Work
I turned a Victorian needlepoint chair cover into a bag and looked at 500 years of canvas work along the way. Why was Berlin wool work derided? The answer says a lot about class.
1 month ago
Natural Dyeing with Buddleia: How to Get a Rich Gold from Garden Weeds
Buddleia gives a warm old-gold yellow on pre-mordanted wool and it costs nothing to collect. Here's the whole process, from spent flowers to finished skein.
1 month ago
A Maker’s Wardrobe: Where This Project Begins
A new project: building a wardrobe I actually want to wear, slowly and deliberately. Not minimal, not a reset. Just paying attention to myself for once.
2 months ago
Do Plant Dyes Fade? Two Chair Seats, 100 Years Apart
Do plant dyes fade? Comparing two chair seats 100 years apart reveals the truth: it's not natural versus synthetic, it's technique. Proper preparation and mordanting can create colours that last centuries.
3 months ago
The Problem with “Play” in Creativity (And What It Actually Means)
When perfectionism stops you making, everyone says 'just play.' But what does that actually mean? A different take on creative play from The Studio community.
3 months ago
Crewel work fragment from Jacobean Bed hangings: What You Can Still See After 400 Years
Close look at a crewelwork bed curtain from 1610-1620: which colours survived 400 years, how designs were transferred, and why these mattered.
4 months ago
Bundle dyeing yarn: a November experiment
Yarn bundled with leaves, frost on the hedgerows, observing the small transformations of late autumn.
5 months ago
What Remains: Looking at the Things People Actually Used
Spending 20 minutes with a 16th-century nightshirt at the V&A storehouse taught me what slow looking reveals. An invitation to really see handmade things.
6 months ago
Why We Buy Online Courses and Never Start Them (And Why That’s Perfectly Fine)
Why we buy online courses and never start them - plus how to release the creative guilt around unfinished learning. It's more normal than you think.
8 months ago
Studio Exclusive: Dyeing with Hollyhock, true blues
Discover how black hollyhock flowers create stunning natural blue dyes - a simple alternative to indigo that works beautifully for small-scale projects. Easy growing and dyeing tips included.
9 months ago
Studio Exclusive: Heather for Natural Dyeing: Golds and Greens
Learn how to dye with heather using traditional Scottish methods. Explore the history, colour potential, and step-by-step techniques to create golden yellow and olive tones from this native Highland plant.
10 months ago
Studio Exclusive: Dyeing with Willowherb: From Bright Gold to Charcoal
Rosebay Willowherb Dye Tutorial | Bright Yellow to Charcoal with Tannins Unlock the natural dye magic of willowherb—thanks to its unique tannins that yield vibrant yellow, shifting to deep charcoal with iron. Tutorial & history.
10 months ago
Rag Rugs, Remembered: Creativity, Memory, and the Quiet Legacy of Women’s Work
Explore how rag rugs, Winifred Nicholson’s vision, and everyday women’s handiwork reveal a deeper story of creativity, care, and the domestic arts.
11 months ago
Making a Quilted Envelope Bag: A Slow Stitching Project in Vintage Linen
Discover the story behind a slow-stitched quilted envelope bag made with vintage linen, wool, and thread — a tactile project rooted in memory.
11 months ago
Botanical Dye Plants: Gorse
Explore the story of gorse — from a symbol of Scottish crofting to a vibrant natural dye. A personal reflection on heritage, migration, and the soft yellow hues of spring.
1 year ago
Textiles by Gloria Pastore
Taking inspiration from a silk college Memories, Italy 1982.
1 year ago
Recovering an antique sewing box
restoring and reupholstering a vintage sewing box.
1 year ago
Making Fabric String Part 1: Studio Club Blog
How to make twine from scraps of fabric.
1 year ago
How to Make a Patchwork Star: Studio Club Blog
How to make a patchwork star decoration.
1 year ago
Inspiration: Neolithic Art in Argyll
Taking inspiration from neolithic rock art in Argyll, Scotland.
1 year ago
A mini skein market bag
Knitting pattern for a shopping bag m,ade from naturally dyed mini skeins.
1 year ago
Dye Plants; Indigo: Studio Club Private Blog
2 years ago
Dye Plants: Coreopsis; Studio Club Private Blog
2 years ago
C17th knitted shirt inspiration; Studio Club Private Blog
2 years ago
How to draw like Andy Warhol: Studio Club Private Blog
2 years ago
How to draw a holly wreath
how to draw a holly wreath for a hand made Christmas card
2 years ago
The herbarium project
inspiration vintage herbaceous on my eco printed textiles
2 years ago
Making an embroidered pincushion.
handmade pincushion from plant dyed velvet and freehand machine embroidery
2 years ago
Dyeing a silk camisole with fresh indigo leaves
How to dye a vintage silk camisole with fresh indigo leaves using the salt rub method
2 years ago
Harvesting dyer's chamomile from the dye garden
harvesting anthemis tinctoria, dyer's chamomile in the dye garden and planning new craft kits in natural dyeing
2 years ago
Making tea-lights
3 years ago
Making a knitted coat hanger
make a striped knitted clothes hanger beginner knit
3 years ago
Collecting acorns at Loch Lomond
a walk to Loch Lomond to collect acorns for natural dyeing
3 years ago
Natural Dyes: Fig leaves
natural plant based dyeing with fig leaves ficus
3 years ago
"Birch leaves in a bottle" embroidery part two
embroidered and appliqué picture of birch leaves in a bottle by Jane Lindsey of Snapdragon Life
3 years ago
Natural Dyes: Dyeing wool with Plum bark
how to dye wool with plum bark, natural dyeing, sustainable clothes
3 years ago
"Birch leaves in a bottle" embroidery part one
mindful sewing, slow stitch embroidery made from plant dyed and vintage fabrics
3 years ago
Eco printing on paper with Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw
eco print course in Scotland eco printing with garden plants
3 years ago
Mindful sewing project - Patchwork Christmas stocking pattern
Patchwork Christmas stocking pattern
3 years ago
Visible mending on a knitted jumper
creative visible mending of jumper, wool darning, sustainable fashion
3 years ago
Dyeing wool with dahlia flowers
dyeing wool yarn with dahlia flowers, flowers for natural dyeing
3 years ago
Dyeing wool with bracken - an experiment in changing the pH
Dyeing wool with bracken to get a range of colours by altering pH and modifying with iron
3 years ago
Natural Dyeing: Flag iris root part two
dyeing wool with flag iris roots historic dye
3 years ago
Natural dyeing: Sweet Cicely
Plant dying with sweet Cicely myrrhis odorata, step by step how to tutorial
3 years ago
Cow parsley freehand embroidery
learning how to do freehand machine embroidery
4 years ago
Dyeing with bloody dock (Rumex sanguineus)
4 years ago
Getting back to making clothes
starting to making your own clothes, freehand machine embroidery
4 years ago
Foraged Wreath
4 years ago
Wrapping with tiny dogwood hoops
ideas for sustainable foraged gift wrap and table decorations
4 years ago
Making an honesty garland
how to make foraged decoration honesty garland decorate party
4 years ago
Getting started with overdyeing
using overdyeing in plant dyes natural dyes
4 years ago
Natural dyeing: Flag Iris root on linen
using flag iris roots to create a black dye
4 years ago
Dyeing with Hopi sunflower seeds (Tceqa’ Qu’ Si)
dyeing with hopi sunflower seeds, natural dye
4 years ago
Tour of the Studio and Meadow
4 years ago
Making a Midsummer Wreath
making a grass wreath, everlasting flower wreath
4 years ago
Making calendula tea
making a calendula tea
4 years ago
Dyeing cotton yarn with nettles
How to dye cotton yarn with nettles, natural dye
4 years ago
Growing and Drying Calendula
growing and drying calendula flowers for herbal balms
5 years ago
Making a peg bag
making a linen peg back step by step
5 years ago
Making daisy balm
How to make a soothing daisy balm for bruises
5 years ago
Dyeing wool with onions
Dyeing wool with onions
5 years ago
Make a gilded oak wreath
gilded oak leaf and willow wreath simple make for Christmas
5 years ago
Using pressed leaves to decorate gift wrap
pressed leaves decorating natural gift wrap.
5 years ago
Dyeing wool with dahlias
dyeing with dahlia flowers, natural dye
5 years ago
Visible mending with Flora Collingwood-Norris
visible mending with Flora Collingwood Norris, decorative Manding
5 years ago
Making a rose lip balm
make a rose lip balm
5 years ago
Plantain and nettle balm
Plantago lanceolata history and use, ribwort plantain, balm recipe
5 years ago
Scotch broom as a dye plant
dying wool with scotch broom Cytisus scoparius
5 years ago
Make your own box loom
how to make a box loom
6 years ago
Making a jam jar 'terrarium' of crocus
Make your own terrarium of crocus
6 years ago
Grow your own cup of snowdrops
how to grow your own cup of snowdrops
6 years ago
Make your own felt Christmas tree
how to make a felt vintage Christmas tree decoration
6 years ago
Making Simple Festive Table Decorations
tutorial to make simple seasonal Christmas table decorations
6 years ago
Make a pretty honesty heart
making a heart decoration
6 years ago
Making a dogwood wreath
making a heart wreath with dogwood prunings and dried flowers
6 years ago
Knit your own mug cosy
knitting kit free pattern for mug cosy
6 years ago
Simple beeswax wraps
make your own beeswax wraps instructions
6 years ago
Dyeing socks with acorns
6 years ago
Natural gift wrap - autumn leaves
6 years ago
Making a Knitted Soap Saver
free patterns for making a soap saving mitt
6 years ago
Natural Gift Wrapping 1 - Pressing Leaves
making zero waste gift wrap tutorial pressed leaves
6 years ago
Un-paper towels tutorial
making your own kitchen towel alternative tutorial
6 years ago
Making produce bags for zero waste shopping
making your own produce bags for zero waste shopping
6 years ago
Decorating squash for Autumn and Halloween
decorating a pumpkin with pen and ink
7 years ago
Rosemary Napkin Rings
making rosemary napkin rings as sustainable Christmas table decorations
8 years ago
Making dried leaf rings
Making a pressed autumn leaf ring decoration for Christmas
8 years ago
