All Warm & Wild products are handmade one-by-one. I have long been a fan of traditional handcrafting techniques which promote sustainable trade and it was this that prompted me to teach myself to be able to express my creativity using natural dyes.
Natural dyeing is, in many ways, similar to cooking. The first step is to use exact measures to get the shade and intensity of colour that you’re looking for. Next, you’ll need to let the dyestuff simmer to extract as much colour as possible. Finally, leave the silk to stand for the required time so that the colour remains. Dyeing using flowers and plants won’t always yield the same results, but that’s precisely part of its charm – creating something completely unique using sustainable products.
All of my ribbons and other fabrics have been created using natural dyes derived from plants, flowers and fruits. Natural dyeing is a technique which dates back thousands of years, long before synthetic dyes were invented. The quality and variety of colours that can be extracted from such dyes really is incredible. Not only that, but you can also extract colours from so many different things: flowers, seeds, berries, fruit and vegetable peels, spices, nutshells…the possibilities are endless!
The first thing I do is choose fabric of the highest quality possible to ensure the best possible results. I’ve worked with different types of silk, linen, velvet and cotton and I’m always intrigued by the way the intensity – and even tone – of colour changes depending on the type of material I use.
Next, depending on whether or not the dye is rich in tannins (if so, the dye attaches itself to the fabric for longer), I apply a mordant to the silk which helps to set the colour. Once the fabric is ready, it’s time to experiment! Onion skins, avocado seeds, eucalyptus leaves, teabags…I get just the right amount ready relative to the quantity of material and the intensity of the colour that I’m looking for and then let it simmer.
The results are unbelievable. The variety of colours that you can extract from natural products still amazes me even to this day and I’m always keen to continue learning new things, experimenting some more and discovering new tones. Like any handmade creations, the work is delicate and requires both skill and time. But that’s exactly what makes each item uniquely special.
