About & share
Cobalt Cove is a two-person dye studio working with fresh indigo, oak gall and sea salt. Every piece is dipped in small runs, so the blue shifts a little from one cloth to the next — that is the point.
Studio days run Thursday to Sunday. Dipping happens in the morning while the vat is warm, so afternoons are the best time to look at cloth.
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Cobalt Cove
Natural indigo dye studio Vat open · winter drop live
Hand-dipped linen, slow colour and tide-side dye days on the north cove. Pick a lane below — each one opens with the details before you commit.
Featured · opens monthly
Winter Indigo Drop — Vat No. 14
Twelve linen pieces, each dipped eight times.
Four throws, six scarves and two aprons, all cut from washed European linen. Eight dips takes the blue past denim and close to wet slate. The drop opens at the start of the month and closes when the vat runs clear, which is usually sooner than we plan for.
Shop & drops 03
Shop the linen Throws, scarves and aprons in stock New
Standing pieces we keep dipped year round: heavyweight throws, fine scarves and cross-back aprons. Shelf stock is dyed in runs of six, so sizes come back in rotation rather than all at once.
Winter drop lookbook
All twelve pieces, photographed at dawn
Shot on the slipway before the light turns warm, because indigo reads honestly at dawn and flatters itself by lunchtime. Each frame lists the dip count and the weight of the cloth.
Made-to-order dips Send your own cloth to the vat 4 a month
We take four cloth commissions a month. Natural fibres only — linen, hemp, cotton and silk take the blue; synthetics will not. Bring the piece to a studio day and we will test a corner before quoting the dip count.
Workshops & tide swims 03
Indigo vat workshop Three hours · build a vat, dip two pieces 6 seats
Six seats around one vat. You reduce the indigo, learn to read the flower on the surface, then dip a scarf and a napkin to different depths. Aprons, gloves and cloth are provided; wear sleeves you have already given up on.
Dawn dye walk Foraging the cove for dye plants
Ninety minutes along the headland, cutting what the season allows: nettle, bramble, alder cone and the odd piece of weathered oak. We end at the studio and simmer one find so you can see the colour it gives.
Tide swim & tea Sunday mornings · all paces welcome
An open group that swims whatever the water is doing, then stands about the studio drinking tea in indigo towels. No distance to keep up with and no booking needed — if the flag on the door is blue, the swim is on.
Studio notes 03
Caring for indigo Wash cold, dry in shade, never wring Guide
Cold water, mild soap, no bleach and no direct sun on the line. The first two washes will give up a little blue, which is normal for a cloth dipped this many times — wash it on its own and the loss stops there.
Field notes: Vat No. 14 What eight dips actually looks like
A running log of the current vat: temperature, how long it sulks after a cold night, and a swatch for every dip from one to twelve. Useful if you are choosing a depth of blue and would rather see it than read an adjective.
The Tide Letter One page, sent at every new moon
What came out of the vat, which workshop seats are left and when the next drop opens. Twelve letters a year and nothing in between. Ask at the counter on a studio day and we will add you to the list by hand.
Trade & visits 02
Stockists & wholesale Small shops and galleries welcome
We supply a short list of shops, two seasons a year, in runs of twenty pieces. Line sheets and dip swatches are kept in the studio — come by on a dipping morning and we can talk lead times honestly over the vat.
Studio visits Thursday to Sunday, mornings for dipping
The door is open four days a week. Mornings are loud, warm and smell of the vat; afternoons are quiet and better for choosing cloth. Dogs are fine, pale coats are not.