living well with nature
Susannah lives off-grid on a canal boat on the Grand Union canal just outside London with eight quails. She uses plants along the towpath for natural dyes.
Workshops and Talks
I offer workshops and talks for adults and children about organic and permaculture gardening and traditional crafts.
As a seasoned educator and experienced speaker I teach for Permablitz London (where I am a Co-founder/Director) and feature regularly at the London Permaculture Festival, Cecil Sharp House, Capital Growth, Social Farms & Gardens and RHS Urban Show. I’m well-known and connected to London’s community garden scene and I’ve even met King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla when they opened a garden I co-designed in 2022.
I live sustainably on a narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal with my quails and a small garden made of planters created with help through permablitzing.
If you’d like to try something completely different for your hen party, afternoon tea or children’s party (suitable for all ages from 5yrs up) book me to bring a mobile natural dye or felting workshop or design your own session. Available in North West London, Berkhamsted & Hemel Hempstead.
If you want to keep up to date with my latest workshops and courses join my mailing list
LONDON COURSES
Thursday evenings (5 weeks)
6.30pm-8.30pm
April 16th, 23rd, 30th & May 7th, 14th 2026
Kentish Town City Farm, NW5 4BN
(closest transport: Gospel Oak (overground), Kentish Town (Northern line and Thameslink)
Learn how to spin and naturally dye your own wool for knitting, crocheting and other crafts. This course will introduce you to the ancient tradition of hand-spinning with a drop-spindle, a relaxing and meditative skill using minimal technology.
You’ll learn how to ply your wool, create skeins and then mordant and naturally dye your yarn using cololurs from plants.
The course is taking place at Kentish Town City Farm where you’ll meet the rare-breed Jacob’s sheep and learn how to wash their raw wool, card and then spin it.
Timetable:
Week 1: Meet the Jacob’s sheep at the farm and learn how to process and wash their raw wool. Start spinning with a drop spindle.
Week 2: Learn about carding the washed wool and continue spinning with a drop spindle.
Week 3: Learn about plying the wool you have spun and creating a skein.
Week 4: Learn about mordanting your wool in preparation for dyeing with plant dyes
Week 5: Learn about dyeing your wool with plant dyes
This is a participatory, hands-on course where you’ll have a chance to learn by doing in a collaborative, fun atmosphere.
What you will need: a drop spindle, rubber gloves and an apron
Drop spindles available here: https://www.georgeweil.com/spinning-wheels-accessories/hand-spindles/louet-top-whorl-spindle/
What you will take away: skein of dyed wool that you have spun
No experience necessary.
Positive comments on my style of teaching:
“Very good – super relaxed and friendly while being full of info” – Maz
“Great hands-on learning” – Betty
“Relaxed, informative. Very knowledgeable” – Yvonne
“ Very knowledgeable, always willing to answer questions and very generous with time and materials.” – Sophie
Thursday evenings
6.30pm-8.30pm
May 21st, 28th & June 4th, 11th, 18th 2026
Kentish Town City Farm, NW5 4BB
(closest transport: Gospel Oak (overground), Kentish Town (Northern line and Thameslink)
The colours for our fabrics came mainly from plants until synthetic dyes were developed in the late 19th century. This introductory course offers the chance to learn how to use plants to create colours to dye cotton, silk and wool. Through the five sessions you’ll learn about the history of dyes, techniques for dyeing, plants to use, how to combine colours, using flowers and leaves for ecoprinting and using woad, the traditional blue dye.
Session 1: an introduction to the history of dyeing fibre, preparing your fibres and mordanting
Session 2: dyeing with traditional plant materials to create a range of different colours
Session 3: dyes you can forage for – an evening of experimentation with different plants you have foraged
Session 4: using flowers and leaves for ecoprinting
Session 5: dyeing with woad to produce blues
This is a participatory, hands-on course where you’ll have a chance to learn by doing in a collaborative, fun atmosphere.
What you will need:rubber gloves and an apron
What you will take away:skein of dyed wool, squares of dyed cotton, silk and wool, handouts
No experience necessary
BERKHAMSTED COURSES
Tuesday evenings
6.30pm-8.30pm
2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th June 2026
The Court House, Church Ln, Berkhamsted HP4 2AX
(Closest transport: Berkhamsted train station. Free parking available on site)
The colours for our fabrics came mainly from plants until synthetic dyes were developed in the late 19th century. This introductory course offers the chance to learn how to use plants to create colours to dye cotton, silk and wool. Through the five sessions you’ll learn about the history of dyes, techniques for dyeing, plants to use, how to combine colours and using flowers and leaves for ecoprinting.
Session 1: an introduction to the history of dyeing fibre, preparing your fibres and mordanting
Session 2: dyeing with traditional plant materials to create a range of different colours: red from madder, yellow from weld and deep blue/purple from logwood
Session 3: dyes you can forage for – an evening of experimentation with different plants you have foraged
Session 4: using flowers and leaves for ecoprinting
Session 5: dyeing with woad to produce blues
This is a participatory, hands-on course where you’ll have a chance to learn by doing in a collaborative, fun atmosphere.
What you will need: rubber gloves and an apron
What you will take away: skein of dyed wool, squares of dyed cotton and silk, handouts
No experience necessary
ABERGAVENNY COURSES
Saturday 9th May
10am-4.30pm
Llanwenarth Hall, Abergavenny, NP7 7EN
Situated in a beautiful setting in the Usk valley just outside Abergavenny. Close to St Peter’s Church with a near-circular churchyard which indicates that there has been a place of worship on the site since Celtic times.
Free parking available on site
What you will learn:
how to spin your own wool for knitting, crocheting and other crafts. This course will introduce you to the ancient tradition of hand-spinning with a drop-spindle, a relaxing and meditative skill using minimal technology.
how to process raw wool, washing then carding to make rolag ready to spin.
how to ply your wool and create skeins.
This is a participatory, hands-on course where you’ll have a chance to learn by doing in a collaborative, fun atmosphere.
What you will need: a drop spindle
Drop spindles available here: https://www.georgeweil.com/spinning-wheels-accessories/hand-spindles/louet-top-whorl-spindle/
What you will take away: Skein of wool you have spun
No experience necessary.
Feedback from previous courses:
“Very good – super relaxed and friendly while being full of info” – Maz
“Great hands-on learning” – Betty
“Relaxed, informative. Very knowledgeable” – Yvonne
“ Very knowledgeable, always willing to answer questions and very generous with time and materials.” – Sophie
Saturday 27th June
10am-4.30pm
Llanwenarth Hall, Abergavenny, NP7 7EN
Situated in a beautiful setting in the Usk valley just outside Abergavenny. Close to St Peter’s Church with a near-circular churchyard which indicates that there has been a place of worship on the site since Celtic times.
Free parking available on site
The colours for our fabrics came mainly from plants until synthetic dyes were developed in the late 19th century. This introductory course offers the chance to learn how to use plants to create colours to dye cotton, silk and wool.
What you will learn:
Introducing the history of dyeing fibre, preparing your fibres and mordanting
Dyeing with traditional plant materials to create a range of different colours
Dye plants you can forage for
Using flowers and leaves for ecoprinting
This is a participatory, hands-on course where you’ll have a chance to learn by doing in a collaborative, fun atmosphere.
What you will need: rubber gloves and an apron
What you will take away: Dyed silk scarf, cotton and wool
No experience necessary.
Feedback from previous courses:
“Very good – super relaxed and friendly while being full of info” – Maz
“Great hands-on learning” – Betty
“Relaxed, informative. Very knowledgeable” – Yvonne
“ Very knowledgeable, always willing to answer questions and very generous with time and materials.” – Sophie
Previous workshops and courses
Natural dye course June-July 2025
We started dyeing with the traditional red dye (madder) and yellow dye (weld) before experimenting with foraged dyes. The most exciting result was from hawthorn, which gave a lovely red.
Feedback
“Absolutely exalted, it was more than I hoped for, and all I wished for!”
“Thank you – really enjoyed it!”
Susannah’s teaching style was
“Excellent”
“Really accessible – clear & open to questions”
Wool skills course May-June 2025
We spun Jacobs sheep wool, plyed it and then dyed it. The course finished with a session learning how to felt.
Feedback
“Very informative and clear instructions”
Susannah’s teaching style was
”Excellent, natural, going with the flow – allowing connected conversations, basic and easy to follow.”
This silk scarf has been dyed with madder, a traditional plant dye that uses roots from the madder plant (Rubia tinctorum). It is a beautiful red colour
The size of the scarf is 114cm x 28cm.
This silk scarf has been dyed with woad, a traditional plant dye that uses the leaves of the Woad plant (Isatis tinctoria).
The size of the scarf is 114cm x 28cm.
This silk scarf has been dip-dyed with madder and buddleja. Madder is the traditional red dye and buddleja’s purple flowers give a surprising yellow.
The size of the scarf is 114cm x 28cm.
