Welcome to The Outside

Naturally dyed goods, historically authentic colours and research into past and future use of natural dyes.

We are a small group of friends and family who have combined our varied skills to produce vibrantly coloured naturally dyed goods. Our dye house and workshop is based next to the Thames at Hardwick Estate in Oxfordshire. We also have a mobile demonstration dye house and shop that travels to events across the country.

We are an environmentally minded organisation that wishes to promote the use of natural dyes. We aim to tread lightly on the earth and are always seeking ways to make our small scale business as ethical and responsible as possible. We grow and gather most of our dye stuffs from our garden, allotments and surrounding countryside. Dye stuffs from elsewhere are sourced as responsibly as possible. We use water from our well for dyeing and rinsing which is recycled into withy beds. We have a small flock of Shetland and Boreray sheep which are great fun and provide fleece for our range of felting wool and homespun yarn.

We have carried out extensive research into traditional, archaeological and potential future use and production of natural dyes in the UK. We are also happy to research any questions posed that we cannot currently answer, with a view to rediscovering lost techniques and adding to a greater understanding and promotion of ethical textile manufacture in the future. We can also provide practical help and resources for reconstructions of textile related archaeological finds.

We have learnt a lot over the years and are more than happy to share. We give talks, demonstrations and run a range of workshops.

salisbury museum 2

To find out more or book us for your event, please contact us.
To purchase dyestuffs, dye plant seeds or our new ranges of naturally dyed Shetland x Boreray felting wool, tablet weaving yarn, embroidery and knitting silk, please visit our Shop for our other ranges of naturally dyed yarns and Shetland felting wool please visit our Etsy Shop. If you order from both shops at the same time we will pack your orders together and refund excess postage.