The pioneering natural dye organisation Aranya Natural is celebrating its 25th anniversary in February. A conference, Sustainability of Natural Dyes, workshops and events will mark the occasion, from 22 – 25th February in Munnar, India. Aranya, which specialises in eco-friendly fabric dyes, was set up in the tea-growing hilly region of Munnar in the early nineties to provide employment for the local community. It was an extension of the Srishti Trust, which runs programs for the education, training and rehabilitation of the differently abled children of Munnar’s tea plantation workers. The Trust found that graduates of its educational programs had...

Join us in April for a one-day Block Print Workshop with designer Molly Mahon. The workshop will be inspired by the English garden and you will have the opportunity to print napkins, a table runner, a cushion or a length of fabric with Molly's new floral blocks. Molly Mahon’s printed fabrics bring cloth and colour alive. Based in Sussex, Molly is a British printmaker whose designs are applied to fabrics, wallpapers and a growing range of homewares. Inspired by nature, travels to India and inspiration from her daily life, Molly turns images into repeat designs and carves them into a wooden...

A reminder that applications to exhibit and volunteer at Selvedge’s World Fair are open. A celebration of cloth from The Selvedge Foundation, showcasing the skill, diversity and passion of global artisans and their handmade textiles, the Fair will take place over three days, 3rd – 5th September, at Mary Ward House in London. The Fair is the first major initiative from The Selvedge Foundation, which aims to develop economic opportunities for the makers of handmade textiles that will provide a sustainable means of achieving economic growth while preserving cultural traditions, and to promote informed and sustainable choices through an education...

Image: © Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images. Australia's shocking bushfire season has seen an estimated 10 million hectares of bush, forest and parks devastated, human lives lost and entire species threatened. While volunteer fire fighters battle the fires and community charities work to support people who have lost their homes, wildlife rescue centres have been overwhelmed by animal casualties and orphans. To help, crafters have been making specialist items, including the pouches needed by Australia’s young marsupials to survive.   The Australia-based Animal Rescue Craft Guild has created patterns for these items, which in addition to pouches for possums, koalas,...

Image: Honeysuckle wallpaper, Design by May Morris c.1883 © William Morris Gallery. Until March 2020, the Dovecot Studios gallery in Edinburgh presents a landmark exhibition exploring the life and work of May Morris, the youngest daughter of William Morris and one of the most significant artists of the British Arts and Crafts movement. May Morris: Art & Life tells the story of May, who at age 23, took charge of the Morris & Co. embroidery department and was responsible for creating some of the company’s most iconic textiles and wallpaper designs. With over 80 original textiles, drawings, jewellery, and clothing...