Saturday 2 & Saturday 16 March 2024, Pattern Making with Sarah Burns

14:00 - 17:00 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Hosted on Zoom by Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a natural forager, exploring and reviving natural dyes and pigments from the plants and flowers she finds close to her Sussex workshop. She uses foraged natural dyes to create striking and organic patterns in hand-block printed textiles. Prior to running her own textile printing studio, Sarah studied Politics at Jesus College, Cambridge and Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art. Now a pattern-maker, textile printer and teacher, her fabrics are inspired by natural, seasonal materials and the places near where she lives and works on the South Downs.  

Her fabrics are hand-block printed in her Sussex workshop using natural foraged dyes and pigments. Her patterns have been commissioned by the Dartington Trust and the Virginia White Collection and Cloth Collective. She co-authored the first monograph on pioneering 1930s textile designers Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher and is committed to reviving ancient techniques like natural dyeing and block printing that are centred on zero waste and carbon-neutral making processes. 

Outline of workshop

In this workshop, you will explore the world of pattern making: how to create and layer up your own repeat patterns and, most importantly, how to create a sense of rhythm and harmony in your own designs. In the first session, Sarah will lead you through a series of pattern-making exercises aimed at exploring rhythm, the process of repeat pattern making and the full potential of hand block printing, resulting in your final block print design. In the second session, you will learn how to print your own patterns onto fabric by mastering practical techniques to print fabrics with blocks and printing mediums.

A material pack will be sent to participants in advance of the workshop containing the following materials:

• 1m organic hemp

• 2 square backed lino blocks

• Set of 5 Japanese wood wood carving tools

• Sample of my block printed and naturally dyed fabric

In addition to the above, participants will need to provide:

• Old newspaper and rags for cleaning

• Potatoes for making blocks for printing

• Pen Knife or paring knife for cutting the potato

• Black poster paint for use as a printing medium

• Sponges for applying paint

• Textile printing ink (screen printing ink can also be used - Handprinted)

• Heavy duty sandpaper

• Tray for rolling up the ink

• Textile printing roller and/or large piece of sponge (large enough for your block to fit on.

Please note: material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, lost or undeliverable packs are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyer.

Workshop recording
The workshop will be recorded and the recording made available to you after the workshop. 

Workshop Cancellation Policy
All places reserved on workshops are non refundable. However, if you let us know you are not able to make a workshop you have booked at least two weeks prior to the event, we will offer a credit note.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact the events team, events@selvedge.org.