Make Your Own

Naturally Dyed Dance Pants

Enroll Now

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Enroll Now ~

A pair of blue and white vertical striped pajama pants laid flat on a red patterned area rug.

Naturally Dyed Dance Pants Class!

Learn to make your own Thread + Sprout Dance Pants, use clay resist and dye with indigo in this 5 week online class taught by Justice McNeil Sumser and Kristin Arzt.

Join for $375

* Class starts June 2nd

* Five live video calls (that will be recorded so you can go at your own pace)

* Unlimited access to the content

* Connection to a supportive creative community

A hand holding a piece of terracotta clay in front of blue and white patterned textiles. The textiles have various geometric and abstract designs.
Close-up of a piece of fabric or canvas with a geometric pattern being dipped into a blue bucket filled with black liquid, surrounded by paint cans and tools, in a workspace or art studio.
Collection of blue fabric swatches with various white patterns, including stars, geometric shapes, flowers, abstract lines, and dots.
A sheet of parchment paper with pressed flowers and leaves, alongside a small clear plastic cup filled with dark liquid and a brush for application.
Various pieces of fabric with blue and white patterns, including geometric, floral, and abstract designs, arranged on a table with a small orange brick, a black object, and a white object nearby.
A fabric banner with a blue background and a white circle in the center, hanging against a wooden surface.
Close-up of a blue fabric with a pattern of white geometric shapes, including squares and triangles.
Two blue fabric blankets with different patterns are laid out on a gravel surface outdoors. One has a polka dot pattern, and the other has a geometric pattern.
A tangled pile of light blue fabric and textiles on a blue plastic-covered surface.

Sew, Design + Dye!

Learn to dye with natural indigo at home and work with clay paste resist to create your own naturally dyed Dance Pants!

We will cover how to mix your own clay paste to create resists when dyeing in a natural indigo vat. You can screen print, block print, and paint with clay paste on natural fibers. The clay paste repels the indigo dye, leaving you with one-of-a-kind designs. We will also cover dyeing in natural indigo, vat care, upkeep, and maintenance.

You will learn:

  • How to sew a pair of comfy elastic waist pants with anchored inseam pockets

  • How to sew French Seams

  • Various tips for altering and customizing a pattern

  • How to mix and work with a natural fructose indigo vat

  • Surface design techniques for applying clay paste resist 

  • Dyeing with clay resist in an indigo vat

  • Natural indigo vat maintenance 

By the end of the class, you'll have the skills to make your own hand-dyed pieces, maintain your indigo vat, work with clay paste on your own, dye with clay, and more

Blue tie-dye two-piece outfit with a white moon and tree design, hanging on a wooden hanger against a beige wall.
A woman with blonde hair, wearing brown boots, beige wide-leg pants with yellow stars, a green button-up shirt, and a sleeveless jacket with animal and star patch designs, is standing on a rooftop under a clear blue sky, smiling and shading her eyes with her hand.

MEET YOUR TEACHERS

Justice McNeil Sumser

Justice is a fiber artist, creative facilitator, and movement teacher. Her work lives at the intersection of craft, mindfulness, and magic — a place where making becomes more about the process than the outcome. Through her sewing patterns and tutorials as well as online classes and workshops, she hopes to encourage others to explore their creativity and imagination, gain confidence in working with their hands, practice generative thinking and have fun while doing it! She also teaches online yoga and mindfulness classes designed specifically for creatives, makers, and artists.

@threadandsprout
A woman standing outdoors on grass, wearing a large straw hat, a gray sleeveless top, and tie-dye overalls with yellow, green, and orange hues. She has long wavy hair, a tattoo on her upper arm, and is barefoot in front of lush green tropical plants.

Kristin is a natural dyer and educator whose work explores the connection between plants, textiles, and the places we live. Much of her work begins in the garden. She grows seasonal dye plants for experimentation and loves sharing seeds and plant knowledge with her community. Through teaching, writing, and research, Kristin’s goal is to make natural dyeing approachable while encouraging deeper relationships between materials, land, and community. She also teaches meditation and restorative yoga, weaving mindfulness-based practices into her workshops.

Kristin Arzt

@kristin.arzt

KEY DETAILS

  • If you are taking this class live, the live video calls will be on Tuesdays for five weeks in a row.

    The first live call will be on June 2nd

    Important: you are not required to attend all the live classes! All the content will be uploaded to the class dashboard, including recordings of the calls, so you can do this class at your own pace and at a time that works best for you.

    Live call schedule:

    Call 1: Introductions + Getting Started
    Tuesday, June 2nd, 3-5 pm PT // 4-6 pm MT // 5-7 pm CT // 6-8 pm ET

    Call 2: Sewing the Dance Pants Part 1
    Tuesday, June 9th, 3-5 pm PT // 4-6 pm MT // 5-7 pm CT // 6-8 pm ET

    Call 3: Sewing the Dance Pants Part 2
    Tuesday, June 16th, 3-5 pm PT // 4-6 pm MT // 5-7 pm CT // 6-8 pm ET

    Call 4: Indigo Dye + Clay Resist Part 1
    Tuesday, June 23rd, 3-5 pm PT // 4-6 pm MT // 5-7 pm CT // 6-8 pm ET

    Call 5: Indigo Dye + Clay Resist Part 2
    Tuesday, June 30th, 3-5 pm PT // 4-6 pm MT // 5-7 pm CT // 6-8 pm ET

  • That is okay! It is the summer, we all lead busy and full lives.

    All the content will be uploaded to the class dashboard, including recordings of the calls, so you can do this class at your own pace and at a time that works best for you.

    You will have lifetime/unlimited access to all of the content and class recordings.

  • Yes!

    The Thread + Sprout Dance Pants pattern will be provided. You can read the description and see the size chart here.

    You are welcome to use a different pattern if you’d prefer :)

  • I want this class to be accessible to sewists of all levels, however, I recommend having some prior sewing experience. So, I'd say it's best for ambitious beginners through advanced sewists.

    Before signing up please make sure you:

    • know how to sew a straight stitch

    • are familiar with using a pattern

    • are familiar with how your machine works and what quirks it may have

    • are familiar with how to wind your bobbin and thread your machine

    • know how to change the stitch length

    • are familiar with basic sewing terms like: seam allowance, bias tape, basting stitch, stitch length

  • A full and very detailed supplies list will be provided upon signing up. Here is a brief overview of what you’ll need.

    For the sewing part you will need:

    • white, woven fabric made of a natural fiber (cotton, linen, or hemp would work best)

    • a sewing machine

    • a way to finish seams (zig zag stitch or overlock machine)

    • basic sewing supplies

    • cotton all purpose thread

    For the dyeing and clay resist part you will need:

    • Clay paste ingredients:

      • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts)

      • Powdered Gum Arabic

      • Bentonite or Kaolin Clay

    • For Dyeing

      • 1 5-gallon bucket and lid for your indigo vat

      • 1 bucket for rinsing

      • 1 empty bucket for drips (especially helpful if dyeing indoors)

      • Long-handled spoon or dowel (long enough to reach the bottom of your 5-gallon bucket)

      • Gloves - nitrile or rubber gloves

      • 1-2 cups white vinegar

      • Spray bottle filled with water (optional but handy)

    • Indigo Vat ingredients: 

      • Purchase a pre-measured kit here.

      • The ingredients that came in your kit in the glass jar (50 grams indigo, 100 grams calcium hydroxide, and 150 grams fructose). 

    • If you do not purchase a materials kit, you can get these items from online retailers like Botanical Colors or Maiwa.

  • This class includes 5 weekly video calls hosted on Zoom as well as a private Discord server to connect with the teachers and fellow students in between classes!

What you’ll learn

  • Sewing a Pair of Pants

    Sew a pair of woven, elastic waist pants with anchored inseam pockets, a drop crotch and slight barrel leg using the Dance Pants pattern

    + learn how to do French Seams!

  • Clay Resist + Surface Design

    Learn how to mix your own clay paste to create one-of-a-kind designs. You can screen print, block print, and paint with clay paste on natural fibers.

  • Dyeing with Indigo

    We will cover mixing and dyeing with a natural fructose indigo vat as well as how to maintain your vat for future use.

Sign up

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