Summer in the Footsteps of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf

Last summer went by in a flash of so many good things squeezed in among the unrelenting heat. The intensity may have been a little difficult to process at the time but those special times really left their mark and have been shaping my creative life and work in the subsequent months. I’m now in a position to share some of this with you. Over the next few months I’ll be releasing a series of … More Summer in the Footsteps of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf

A summer of solar dyeing for some timely inspiration

Today I want to share with you some lovely skeins of yarn dyed last summer, to both inspire myself and to inspire you if you’re tempted to give it a go! These are solar dyes from last year, possibly the easiest, lowest input approach to dyeing, although perhaps not the quickest. What you can also see from this selection is just how you can achieve bright, clear and saturated the colours using this method. Last … More A summer of solar dyeing for some timely inspiration

More sunny solar dyes from the kitchen and garden

As I sit here in temperatures hitting 40 degrees celsius, I thought I’d take a moment inside, in the shade to sit quietly and tell you about a some more glorious colours this summer of high temperatures and ‘burny’ sun have enabled me to create. Following the wonderful vibrant yellow I was able to create using yellow coreopsis and the power of the sun which I shared last time, I’ve been trying this approach with … More More sunny solar dyes from the kitchen and garden

Natural Plant Dyeing: Adding a fabulous new orange to the palette with Bidens

Towards the end of last year, as leaves tuned colour, the weather turned colder and frost threatened some tender dye plants, I began to plan some more dyeing experiments; a combination of trying to replicate previous colours and discover new ones. This potential for new colours comes as we explore further what plants will thrive in our clay soil, and in hot dry summers that can transition to cold waterlogged winters overnight, or in the … More Natural Plant Dyeing: Adding a fabulous new orange to the palette with Bidens