The Botanical Collection

Each piece is either immersion dyed or eco printed. 

Eco printing is a natural dye process that takes the beauty of botanicals and transfers them to fabric using the naturally occurring pigments, tannins, and acids using heat and steam.  It is a slow process, but well worth it. Each bundle is unique and unpredictable resulting in a one of a kind beauty that fast fashion cannot replicate.

Each piece takes 3 hours minimum which does not include dry time. Pieces are scoured to clean them from all dirt and oils and then mordanted to prepare them to accept and hold dyes. Once this is finished they must dry completely before being dipped in a wheat bran bath. Only then are they ready to dye. In eco printing, botanicals are arranged on the fabric and then bundled and steamed for a minimum of 1 hour. Opening the warm bundles and revealing the surprise inside is my favorite part. Traditionally dyed fabrics go through the same scouring and mordanting steps, but then they are immersed in the dye stock which has been prepared by soaking and heating dye stuffs over a period of several hours. They are placed in the dye pot and left to heat and soak for a period of hours to obtain the perfect shade. 

I grow all of my own flowers to guarantee they remain free from harmful chemicals and pesticides for your safety and the safety of our pollinators. Flowers are picked throughout the season for immediate use. During times of abundance, flowers are picked and dried for use in future projects.  All other leaves and plant materials are locally sourced from local woods and wild lands- and the occasional neighbors' tree. 

Some of my personal favorites are cosmos and coreopsis flowers and the surprising deep purples and greens from rose petals. Maple and oak leaves are always reliable, but peony leaves are pretty in green with alum or black with iron. 

Unless otherwise indicated, the collection is made from 100% cotton  that has been locally sourced or gifted so it may be repurposed and given a new life.  

Why post-consumer cotton and not organic? The production of organic cotton can have detrimental environmental impacts due to its usage of water, land, chemicals, and emissions. 

Fast fashion and textiles are a huge adversary  in our war on climate change. 85% of all textiles end up in landfills or incinerated.  According to the Council for Textile Recycling, The United States generates an average of 25 billion pounds of textiles per year. 

I hope to add some silk pieces in the future, but I don't have the heart to contribute to the mistreatment of the silkworms. Even Ahimsa silk, or peace silk, is not cruelty free as some might have you think. Instead, I will be sourcing post-consumer silks as I believe that while it did at one time contribute to the mistreatment of these creatures, it would be insulting to then send their work to landfills. By recycling these pieces I hope that it may bring honor back to the sacrifices they made. 

Care for you nature dyed clothes doesn't need to be difficult.  Unless otherwise noted, all pieces can be washed on cool/warm  with a gentle laundry detergent and placed in the dryer using low heat. However, there are a few considerations:

• Do not bleach
• Iron as needed on the lowest setting possible
• If line drying- do not dry in direct sunlight as this will lead to fading over time
• Some natural dyes are susceptible to accidental staining from acidic food, such as lemon juice! It can be annoying at times, but all you need to do is wash your clothing in your usual way, and the stain will disappear.
• A very small portion of the collection containes some colors that are pH sensitive and can change depending on the pH level of you water (changing from a warmer purple to a cooler purple for example). These can be shifted using either an acidic or alkaline rinse ( water with a tsp or two of lemon juice or baking soda, respectively). 

I have several pieces for sale at the Paramount Gift Gallery in St. Cloud MN where you can see and feel them in person. Otherwise, you can always reach out to me if there is a piece on instagram or FB that you've seen and would like to learn more about.

Custom pieces are always welcome. Perhaps you have an old table cloth or other heirloom you'd like to repurpose. I'm happy to discuss these further- just go on over to my contact page. 

I hope to have individual pieces for sale here on the website very soon.