2027: CAROLINE NIXON

***Note: exact dates may shift by a day or two depending upon flight schedules***

COURSE OVERVIEW

Discover the art of ecoprinting while working with beautiful vintage French textiles and the rich botanical landscape of the French countryside. Leaves and flowers are transformed into detailed, permanent prints that capture the colours, shapes, and character of the natural world. Every piece becomes a unique record of the season, the landscape, and your own artistic choices, creating textiles that are both deeply personal and unmistakably French.

Combining science, craftsmanship, and artistic exploration, this immersive workshop reveals the techniques behind clear, vivid, colourfast botanical prints while developing a deeper understanding of the materials and processes that make them possible. The textiles you create may become clothing, scarves, home furnishings, wall art, quilts, or mixed media pieces.

Whilst providing a thorough grounding for beginners,the workshop moves beyond simply following recipes,providing valuable insights for printers with experience too. You will gain a practical understanding of how fibres, tannins, mordants, dyes, and botanical materials interact, giving you the confidence to troubleshoot, experiment, and develop your own distinctive style. Individual guidance and a flexible programme allow every participant to work at a level appropriate to their experience.

During the week, you will explore:

• The essential techniques for obtaining crisp clear prints
• The relationship between fibres, mordants, tannins, dyes, and botanical materials
• Responsibly foraging plants for their distinctive print qualities and seasonal character
• Creating rich, permanent coloured backgrounds  with both tannins and dyes
• Understanding why prints succeed, why they sometimes fail, and how to achieve consistent results
• Composition, colour harmony, and expressive design
• Techniques for printing larger textile garments
• Establishing a sustainable and economical home studio
• Caring for and preserving your finished textiles

The programme remains flexible and evolves according to the interests and projects of the group. The first part of the week focuses on developing technical knowledge through carefully structured sample work before progressing to increasingly independent projects. Initial emphasis will be on printing vintage French linens; later, we will broaden the repertoire to include fabrics and garments of your choice. There will be plenty of opportunities for individual guidance and creative exploration throughout the week.

Come prepared to experiment, to be surprised, and to discover the extraordinary beauty hidden within the leaves.

You will leave with the knowledge, confidence, and inspiration to continue your ecoprinting journey, together with a beautiful collection of printed vintage French textiles and reference samples that reflect both your creativity and the unique landscape in which they were created.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOKING FORM

(For pricing, please see below)

BIOGRAPHY

Caroline learned to sew on her grandmother’s treadle sewing machine. Throughout her thirty years as a doctor in the UK and Asia, textiles remained her creative outlet and a welcome counterbalance to a demanding career. After retiring, she explored a wide range of textile techniques before discovering that ecoprinting was her true passion.

For Caroline, ecoprinting is a collaboration with nature. She delights in every step of the process: hunting for vintage textiles, growing dye plants, harvesting and foraging, arranging botanicals, waiting impatiently for the textiles to steam – and the exciting moment when they are unbundled and reveal their secrets.

Largely self-taught, Caroline is fascinated by the meeting of science and art. She delights in sharing her knowledge. Her teaching is clear, enabling, supportive, and fun. She wants participants to feel as if they are conducting their own creative experiments, not merely following instructions and recipes.

Caroline has taught and exhibited internationally, and her work has won numerous awards, including prizes at the Festival of Quilts and the Heseltine Gallery. She is passionate about raising the profile of textile art and, through her artwork and teaching, hopes to help establish ecoprinting as a contemporary art form in its own right.

Website: https://www.textileartist.org/caroline-nixon-stitching-into-botanical-magic/

Instagram: @handmadecaroline

PRICING

Prices per person for 2027 are as follows:

The cost of our creativity holidays includes the following:

• Course fees and basic materials
  (except for any course-specific materials that the tutor requests you bring with you)
• Airport collection and drop-off
  (allotted airports and times only)
• Accommodation
  (price varies by type of accommodation selected - we assume single occupancy by default unless you specifically request to share with a friend/partner)
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  (one meal taken at a local restaurant - to be paid by guests at the time)
• Tea and coffee throughout your stay 
• Aperitif and wine/beer with evening meal
• Transport to and from any excursions
• Bed linen and towels
• Access to all amenities throughout your stay
• Local tourist taxes

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOKING FORM