Natural Dyeing and Sustainable Textile Workshops in Bangalore
Step into our garden studio to discover how we transform botanicals, roots, and minerals into vibrant, organic colors for our hand-blocked textiles.
Freshly printed fabrics drying in our garden. The rich indigo and earthy tones are all achieved using natural dyes, a process that is gentle on the planet and beautiful on the cloth.
A glimpse into our natural dye pantry. We use ingredients like Ratanjoth root, Pomegranate peel, and Turmeric, many of which are grown right here in our studio gardens, to create our palette of organic colors.
A pot of natural dye, derived from madder root, bubbles away. This is the beginning of creating the rich, earthy red tones you see in many of our textiles. The process is slow, but the results are worth it.
An artisan hand-grinds myrobalan, a natural tannin that helps fix color to fabric. We use traditional tools and methods, connecting us to the long history of natural dyeing in India.
Our artisans hand-dyeing over 500 meters of organic cotton in natural dyes for a monumental art installation at Somerset House. Each panel tells a story of the plants used to create its color.
An artisan from the Bábbarra Women's Centre stirs a pot of natural dye during her visit to our studio. It was a wonderful exchange of knowledge, sharing techniques and stories from our different corners of the world.
Myrobalan and Indian Madder, two key ingredients in our natural dye process. These elements produce beautiful, mellow, and earthy tones that are central to our color palette.
A close-up of our Indian Madder dye as it brews. The natural fermentation process creates a vibrant, living color that will soon be transferred to fabric.
An artisan grinds ingredients for our natural dyes using a traditional stone grinder. This hands-on, ancestral method is a vital part of our commitment to sustainable and authentic craft.
A beautiful example of Myrobalan and Madder dyes printed on fine silk. The soft yellow and earthy orange tones complement each other perfectly, showcasing the subtle beauty of natural colors.
About From Nature to Fabric: Our Sustainable Dyes
When you step into our dye garden, you aren't just watching a process. You are seeing chemistry rooted in ancestral wisdom. We hand-grind ingredients like Indian Madder and Myrobalan on traditional stone grinders, working with GOTS-certified dyes to ensure every shade is gentle on the skin and the earth. Whether you join us to forage botanicals or learn to prepare mordants, you will see exactly how we turn raw plant matter into the deep, earthy pigments that define our signature look.
For us, dyeing is not a manufacturing step. It is a conversation with nature. Our studio by Sankey Tank acts as both a workshop and a living pantry, where Ratanjoth root, pomegranate peel, and turmeric are transformed into a palette of rich, organic colors.
When you join our sessions, you move past the synthetic dyes you find in fast fashion. You learn why mordants like alum or iron are essential for color-fastness, and how the alchemy of boiling and fermentation creates the soft, nuanced tones that only natural dyes can provide.
We believe in transparency. If you choose our Signature Block Printing Experience or a full-day sustainability session, you will see the preparation firsthand—from washing the fabric to the final fixing process. We use age-old techniques that have sustained Indian textiles for centuries, ensuring your final piece—whether it is a scarf or an heirloom saree—is truly skin-safe and sustainable.
What you can expect in our dye workshops:
- Botanical Foraging: Learn to identify plants that yield color.
- The Mordant Science: Understand how to bind color to organic cotton, silk, and linen.
- Hands-on Mixing: Grind pigments the traditional way and watch the color develop in the vat.
- Sustainable Care: Tips on how to wash and maintain naturally dyed fabrics at home so they last for generations.
This is a space to slow down, get your hands stained with indigo or madder, and appreciate the patience required to create true, sustainable art.
Tharangini Studio
We are Tharangini, a family of craftspeople who have been working with woodblocks and natural dyes in Bangalore since 1977. Our studio is a home for the craft, where we keep old-school, sustainable techniques alive by sharing them with our community.
Looking for a different craft experience?
Explore our other workshops or specific printing services.
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