Plant Dye Sew

11/14/2023

My journey in natural dye in photos: a hand knit wool hat made with black walnut, a skein of wool dyed with poke berry, and a basket of color made using home grown or locally foraged cosmo flower, goldenrod, and fresh Japanese indigo leaf. The purple was made using logwood tree and the shades of red using madder root.

06/26/2023

Living in New England, I didn't think it would be possible to grow indigo due to the short growing season. But in mid March, I decided to put some seeds in a tray and see what happened. The first tray didn't sprout. So I soaked a bunch of seeds in water overnight and then planted in trays. And two months later, here are just a few of those seedlings. I can't wait for them to get to just before they flower, so I can harvest and make beautiful color.
Seed: Hudson Valley Seed Co.
Soil: Coast of Maine Organic Products, Inc.

08/04/2022

Playing with flowers, leaves, and a hammer. Purple cosmo, orange calendula, coreopsis, hickory, and sumac on cotton muslin.

06/10/2022

Ecoprint bundle dyeing using the steam technique. This is Japanese maple leaves, roses, and pansies on cotton canvas.

06/09/2022

Adventures in ecoprinting: pounded rose petals and pansies on linen and cotton muslin. Big rewards with little effort. Look for more eco prints and bundle dye projects soon!

06/04/2022

On the table: 5x5 squares of linen-cotton blend fabric. Varying shades of blue came from the indigo vat. The eco print squares were done late last summer and I can’t recall which flower I used. All that’s left is to piece it into something lovely.

06/01/2022

It's been a little while since I posted. These are just a few of my latest creations, all made using natural plant-based dye on sustainably sourced cotton-linen blends. I'm still working on building up enough inventory to actually make the shop active, but I want to share what's been in the works.
Dyes used on these items include: madder root (red), weld, dandelion, and Queen Anne's Lace (shades of yellow), cochineal (pink), avocado pits (blush/peach/pale pink), indigo (blue), black walnuts (brown), weld & indigo (green).
Comment below if you have a favorite color!

06/01/2022