As if the world of natural dyes did not offer enough colors to choose from, a dyer's palette can be greatly augmented by adding an iron post-mordant. Known for its dulling effect, iron can change the “mood” of a color in interesting and unpredictable ways. In this course we will cover some of the basic natural dyes like cochineal, fustic, logwood, pomegranate, and madder and the effect that adding iron has on the colors they give. We will cover some of the long history of these dyes, the mordanting process, and some color theory. Students will take home dyeing instructions, many samples, and information on each of the dyes used. No experience is necessary.