A few things come up often enough that they are worth writing down. If your situation is not covered here, the studio door is open on Saturdays and someone can talk it through with you in person.
Eight benches per Saturday session. A place is confirmed once we have your name and a way to reach you, and it stays yours until the Thursday before. After that we offer it to the waiting list, because dye baths are prepared on Friday morning and materials are cut to the number of people actually coming.
Onion skin, madder root and indigo behave differently with every batch, water temperature and fibre. Two pieces from the same pot will not match exactly, and a piece you take home will look slightly different in daylight than it did wet on the table. That variation is the material, not a fault.
Wall hangings, room dividers and larger textile pieces for restaurants, guesthouses and stylists are priced by area, with the cord, dye run and finishing time folded in. A rough sketch, a wall measurement and a sense of the light in the room are enough to start. Small plant holders made from offcuts are sold at the studio door and are not part of commission quoting.
Plant-dyed hemp, linen and cotton cord shift over months of direct sun. Wash by hand in cool water with a mild soap, dry in shade, and keep indigo pieces out of long afternoon light if you want the deep tone to hold. We will tell you honestly which dyes are steadier and which ones move.
Materials for the Saturday session are included, and whatever you knot and dye is yours to take. If a piece is still drying at the end of the day, we will wrap it damp and explain how to finish the fringe at home. Nothing made in the workshop is kept by the studio.
Booking and scheduling questions belong with the studio team. If you are unsure whether your idea fits a workshop or a commission, describe the space and the size and we will point you to the right one. Reach the studio at info@botanicalfibreart.com or call +27334987516.
Most people arrive with the same handful of things they want to know before they commit a Saturday or send a commission brief. Here are the answers we give in person, written down so you can check them at your own pace.
None at all. Saturday sessions start from the first loop, and we spend the morning on square knots and half hitches before anyone touches a dye bath. If you have done macrame before, tell us when you book and we will push you toward the more involved patterns.
Hemp, linen and cotton cord, dye materials, gloves, aprons and the tools you need. You take home whatever you finish, and anything half-done can be collected the following week. We keep the group at eight so there is room to work and someone nearby when a knot goes wrong.
We quote per square metre once we know the wall or surface, the fibre you want and how the piece will be cleaned. Hospitality textiles get handled hard, so we usually suggest madder or indigo over the softer onion-skin tones. Send dimensions and a photo of the space, and we will come back with a dye plan and a timeline.
They shift, and that is part of the point. Indigo softens toward pale blue over years, madder deepens with washing. We mordant properly and rinse every batch until the water runs clear, but keep dyed work out of direct afternoon sun and wash it cold by hand if it needs washing at all.
Yes. The Woodstock studio is open on weekdays when we are dyeing, and the small plant holders made from offcuts sit by the door. Message ahead so we are not mid-bath with gloves on, and we will show you what is drying on the line.
Give us a few days and we will move you to the next Saturday with a free bench. Later than that, we have already cut cord and started the dye bath, so we ask you to send someone in your place or take the materials home instead.
Still unsure which route fits your situation? The support page walks through the common cases, and you can always write to the studio with your question.
Most people arrive with one of three questions: whether a Saturday bench is still open, how a commission gets measured, or where to collect a small plant holder. The details below cover all three, plus the hours we actually keep when a dye bath is running.
31387 Maree Street
Lake Leigh, FS 6238
The Woodstock workshop sits behind a shared courtyard gate. Ring the bell marked with the indigo cloth; the door is usually propped open on dye days.
+27334987516
info@botanicalfibreart.com
Calls are picked up between dye batches. If it rings out, we are likely elbow-deep in a madder bath and will call back the same day.
Workshop Saturdays fill up first, so a bench is best confirmed a week ahead.
For a workshop bench or a commission quote, email is easiest because we can send dye notes and cord samples back. For anything time-sensitive, like collecting a finished piece or checking whether the studio door is open, call the number above.
It helps to know the wall or table size for a commission, the number of people for a workshop, and whether you have a colour in mind or would rather see the current batch first. Bring those three things and the conversation moves quickly.