Upcoming Workshops
Saturday April 18th 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Henry A. Brown Elementary School
Address: 1946 E Sergeant St, Philadelphia, PA 19125
I’ll be here with a Natural Tie Dye Potion Bandana’s Station! Come and mix, create your own potions with flowers and roots to dye a bandana to take home!
Also there will be!!!
🌳 Tree planting with community partners
🎨 A live mural project
🛍️ A vibrant flea market & craft fair featuring local vendors
🎁 Raffles and family-friendly fun
MORE DETAILS: https://www.instagram.com/p/DW1tU8GDmbD/
Let’s Hike and dye!🌿 Come join us on a walk through Wissahickon to a picnic spot where we can sit and create. Get to know some really cool spring blooms and people :) Bring a natural fabric piece or a garment you would like to dye. I’ll have a solar dyes and fabric to share. Make sure to bring any food, water, something to sit on or anything you might need. We will meet at the Bells Mill Road West Trailhead at 10:15 AM. The exact address is 9598 Forbidden Drive, Philadelphia PA. See picture of the trailhead and map point location attached. Easier to park in the East Parking lot and walk down among the trees to the marker.
If you need a ride, let me know, I have a few spots available.
Pay what you can to cover the cost of dyes. Recommended $10
Come visit me at the vendor art market! Contribute to a community Solar Dye Banner or make your own!
Birds of a Feather: Art & Nature Festival
April 25th 2026 1:00-4:00PM
FREE EVENT
Tacony Creek- Whitaker Ave and Loudon St
Philadelphia, PA 19120 United States
MORE DETAILS: https://ttfwatershed.org/event/boaf26/
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026 6:30 - 8:00 pm
To sign up you will need to click this link to SHIFT’s Register Online
Location: SHIFT · 250 Haverford Avenue · Narberth Pennsylvania 19072
Create a custom dyed textile using sunlight and plant-based solar dyeing techniques—perfect for a handmade Mother’s Day gift or shared experience.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will dye a fabric item using light and botanicals, learning a simple process that can be repeated at home. This class is open to kids, adults, and families and is especially well suited for a parent/child activity or creating a thoughtful, handmade Mother’s Day gift.
Students will need to bring:
One fabric item, no larger than 20 × 20 inches
Fabric made primarily from natural fibers (cotton, linen, silk, hemp, or bamboo/rayon absorb color best).
EXAMPLES: Cotton or linen handkerchiefs, dish towels or tea towels (single or matching set), cotton or linen napkins, socks (at least 50% natural fiber), a lightweight cotton or linen shirt panel, pocket, or section
Leaves, flowers, botanicals or other interesting shapes (optional)
A container to transport your damp, freshly dyed fabric home
Ticket price includes:
Instruction and guidance on solar dye techniques
Dye for one fabric item
Use of UV lights for nighttime curing
Registration
Reserve your space click this link to SHIFT’s Register Online. Because of the hands-on nature of this event, space is limited. Ages 7+ are welcome to attend.
NOTE: A minimum of 6 students is needed to run this class.
Immersive Natural Dye Experiences
From boardrooms to backyards Dye on the Side experiences meet you where you are.
I bring a botanical dye experience right to your event space with a beautifully curated display and service. Perfect for events, birthday celebrations, classes or team creatives.
I arrive with everything needed to transform your space, seasonal botanicals, textiles, natural pigments, and a touch of creative alchemy. Together, we’ll pause, explore, and discover the joy of making something by hand with each other.
“Thank you for bringing that kind of energy into the office! The table was beautiful and the whole experience was more than I could have imagined.”
Jaime - Shaw Contract
At the heart of everything I do is a commitment to creating with integrity for people, for place, and for the planet.
For over 25 years I’ve worked at the intersection of textiles, natural dyes, and creative education, developing print & color techniques for the fashion industry and leading hands-on workshops that reconnect people with creativity.
Today I design immersive botanical dye experiences for teams, events, and communities.
I believe creativity is for everyone. My workshops are designed to support all abilities, offering an inclusive space to slow down, connect with nature, and create in a way that feels good for you.
Women owned
Rooted in sustainable natural dyeing
Hi I’m Carin!
Featured Digital Guides
Discover the unexpected magic hidden in your kitchen scraps. Avocado Alchemy is a transformative digital dyeing guide that reveals how the humble avocado pit can unlock an extraordinary palette of blush pinks and rose tones with no synthetic chemicals needed.
This immersive guide includes:
An hour-long video tutorial breaking down the wild chemistry behind avocado dyeing
A beautifully designed 22-page digital workbook with step-by-step instructions, tips, and troubleshooting
Lifetime access, including all future updates
Rooted in mindfulness and creative restoration, this guide is more than a craft. Created during a time when I needed grounding most, this practice became my way to reconnect with nature, beauty, and my inner calm. Now, I’m sharing it with you.
In a world that often feels overwhelming, natural dyeing offers something rare: a chance to slow down, take control, and turn waste into wonder. Whether you're a seasoned artist or simply dye-curious, this is your invitation to find color, calm, and creativity, one avocado pit at a time.
Turn your well-loved clothing into one-of-a-kind botanical keepsakes
There’s something magical that happens when sunlight, plants, and fabric come together… and I created this guide to help you capture that magic for yourself.
A bouquet from a special day, flowers picked on a slow afternoon, leaves gathered with your child, this dye process allows you to preserve those moments in cloth, creating pieces you can hold onto and wear.
What makes solar dyeing so special is how simple and immediate it is, colors begin to appear in the sun in a surprisingly short amount of time, making it a beautiful, accessible process for all ages and abilities. It invites you to slow down, connect with the plants around you, and create without pressure.
This 38-page digital workbook walks you step-by-step through my signature solar dyeing process, the same techniques I’ve used to create luminous nature-infused prints.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
🌿 Create crisp, vibrant botanical prints using the power of the sun and dye
🌿 Transform old or meaningful pieces into personal keepsakes
🌿 Preserve flowers and plants from moments you want to remember
🌿 Use my Botanical Color Library to see how colors develop through different exposure times and how they shift after washing so you can better predict your results
🌿 Achieve long-lasting color with simple, approachable methods
🌿 Recreate my Hand Print and Ombré Pant designs step-by-step
🌿 Understand the why behind the magic with an easy, inspiring look at the science
Whether you're brand new or deep in your creative journey, this is your invitation to slow down, reconnect, and create something truly your own.
This is a way to hold onto a moment, a ritual, and a gentle return to creativity.
Instant download: You’ll receive a link via email right after purchase so you can begin creating right away.