Welcome to Natural Fibre Arts

Welcome! We love yarn! We love Fibre! We love colour!

We live life in colour, and with over 15 years of dyeing experience and accreditation from Woolmark Australia and the textiles School of Sweet Georgia you can be confident in receiving the highest quality yarns.

Using organic Greener Shades dyes, our yarns are a thoughtfully curated collection of ethically sourced yarn and fibre, firstly from Australian wool growers who use alternative methods to mulesing, and then our more unique fibres and heritage breed sheep are from small mills supporting family farming cooperatives in South America and the UK.

John Arbon Textiles

The John Arbon textiles mill is located in the north of Devon UK. They are a small family run mill sourcing sustainable locally grown wool and rescuing vintage spinning machinery to bring it back to life for use in their mill. We have a range of their gorgeous spinning fibres (the only place in Australia you can find them) and their beautiful mill spun yarns.

  • Wool in a Circular Economy - Slow Clothing

    No other fibre, natural or man-made, can match all of wool’s naturally inherent benefits.

    Sustainablity 
  • Reduce waste and pollution

    Wool uses 18% less energy than polyester and nearly 70% less water than cotton to produce 100 sweaters.

    Microplastics 
  • The most reused and recycled fibre in the world

    Natural, renewable and biodegradable, wool is the most reused and recyclable fibre on the planet of the major apparel fibres.

    Circularity 
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To ensure you get the best quality hand dyed yarns

Our Qualifications & Credentials

Woolmark Australia - Wool Appreciation, Dyeing, Sustainability

THE WOOLMARK COMPANY AUSTRALIA
The Woolmark trademark

WOOL APPRECIATION COURSE

Issued to: Cheryl Costin on 31st August 2022

Modules and Outcomes

1. Differentiate the properties of wool from other fibres  5. Identify the different ways yarn can be woven or knitted and how ths affects the end product
2. Describe the benefits of wool in terms of comfort, easy to wear, safety, appearance and versatility. 6. Describe the processes used to dye and finish wool and the environmentally friendly options associated with each.
3. Identify different Merino innovations and how these can be used to enhance the quality of products made from wool. 7. Explain the garment faults which may occur and how to best prevent them.
4. Explain how wool is manufactured from greasy wool into worsted and woollen yarn. 8. Recognise the quality assurance behind the Woolmark brand.

 

 

THE DYEING OF WOOL

Issued to: Cheryl Costin on 17th September 2022

Modules and Outcomes

1. Introduction  6. Dyeing at various stages of wool processing
2. The process of dyeing 7. Dyeing wool blends
3. The dyeing processes in wool 8. The dyehouse laboratory
4. Preparing wool for dyeing 9. The side effects of dyeing
5. Selecting and applying wool dyes 10. Environmental impacts associated with dyeing
1. describe how to dye wool and blends, including the necessary preparation of the fibre and the machinery used 3. describe the side effects of dyeing and the associated environmental issues.
2. evaluate the appropriateness of specific dyeing operations

 

School of Sweet Georgia - Dyeing, Spinning, Sheep Breeds Study

THE WOOLMARK COMPANY AUSTRALIA

ACID DYEING BASICS STUDY

Course Modules (7 Lessons)

1. Equipment, dyes & materials  2. Setting up a dye space, mixing dyes, safety
3. Dyeing with immersion techniques  4. Dyeing to the next level
5. Finishing, cleaning, troubleshooting  6. Acid dyeing study group

 

 

CREATING COMPLEX COLOURWAYS

Lecture (Covering both courses below)

 1. Dyeing intentional colour  2. Dyeing complex colour

 Course Modules (34 Lessons)

 1. Introduction  2. Three perspectives on dyeing
 3. The five variables of dyeing  4. The dye studio
 5. Principles of precision immersion dyeing  6. Review and troubleshooting
 7. Building a colour library

 

DYEING COMPLEX COLOUR

Course Modules - (48 Lessons)

  1. Getting Started  2. Colour theory for dyers
 3. Immersion dyeing with resists  4. Layering dye colours
 5. Low water immersion  6. Handpainting
 7. Self striping yarns