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Date: October 10, 2026
Times: 10am - 2pm
Level: All
Membership Price: $135 (Members use discount code MEMBERS10 at checkout to receive 10% off)
There is a $30 materials fee to be paid directly to instructor at the beginning of the class. Cash appreciated.
Workshop Description:
Join us for a hands-on workshop where conservation meets craft. You’ll dye a Fibershed Climate Beneficial™ Verified premium Merino wool beanie using color derived from the overpopulation of purple sea urchins on the Sonoma Coast.
You’ll learn about the nuances of creating natural dye from sea urchins, including how to harvest them, process them responsibly, and create the best dye bath that yields lasting and vibrant pinks. Margaret, the founder of Seelie Studio, will share her journey to dyeing with sea urchins and the many mistakes she made along the way.
As part of our mindful dye practice, you’ll learn about these ancient and resilient creatures that are essential to the balance of our coastal ecosystems. And how negative human impacts, like climate chaos, have created a seemingly insurmountable problem of overpopulation and the loss of nearly 95% of our kelp forests.
Through this hands-on process, we'll reconnect with the ocean’s story — where restoration, stewardship, and creativity come together.
About the Instructor:
Margaret Seelie is an artist and writer based in San Francisco. She is the founder of Seelie Studio, a natural dye company pioneering the world’s first sea urchin dye kits and hands-on workshops. Seelie is also the founder of Seawitches, a zine for waterpeople. Since 2012, she has taught natural dye workshops for clients like the San Francisco Public Libraries, Bodega Marine Lab, The Sea Ranch, Fibershed, and more.
Her work offers hope in a rapidly warming and waning world. She uses sea urchin dye as an educational tool to tell the urgent story of declining kelp forests worldwide. At the crosscurrent of environmental responsibility, scientific inquiry, and artistic expression, Seelie’s work conveys the power of climate adaptation and ingenuity.
She recognizes the sacrifice each animal makes to create color and honors their lives with ceremonial acts of gratitude, whether she’s in her studio or at the beach. Moving through her dye practice, knowing that negative human impact has caused an imbalance in intertidal ecosystems, leading our native ancestors to overpopulate, she takes a restorative, circular approach to her work with purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus).
Margaret has a BA in art and design from DePaul University and an MFA in writing from Mills College. Since 2022, her artwork has been displayed in various solo and group exhibitions in California. In 2025, she was a recipient of the Greenhouse Artists Residency at the Mendocino Arts Center. In 2026, Margaret co-curated the Sea to Soil Series with Fibershed to highlight innovators in the fields of oceanic art and science.
Required Materials: N/A
Optional Materials:
Students are welcome to bring wool from home to add to their dye bath. 100% wool is recommended. Scouring the wool is recommended, but mordanting is not necessary.