the organic dye studio
Hello friend,
Let me introduce myself. I’m a small business owner creating small-batch dining décor with organic plant dyes in my home studio. I’m also an avid reader of literary fiction, historical fiction, and biographies with a passion for discovering stories of strong inspirational women, many not often recognized.
We’re doing our best to navigate together and share support through these difficult times. This is my small contribution to inspiration and beauty.
Art and books help us survive.
“Here and now, you are alive.”—Terry Pratchett.
Psychology of color and organic plant dyes
What attracted me to working with organic plant dyes is the purity and uniqueness of nature’s earthy colors, as well as the therapeutic process of dyeing itself—plant dyeing projects can take twelve or more hours a day, and you need to check and stir the pot many times. The whole process forces you to relax into a flow state, setting worries aside.
The plant extracts in my color palette create a beautiful range of desert browns and rose tones. The newest color I’m experimenting with is ground marigold flowers, and I’m thrilled with the results (shown here on a woven cotton muslin):
I’m calling this Van Gogh sunflower gold. It’s a rich golden yellow that instantly makes me think of a July summer day. The warmth of the sun grew these Marigold flowers, and nature’s vibrant color is transformed to this fabric.
Color soothes both our mind and body. We bring color selectively into our home to encourage emotions the color evokes. According to Insights Psychology, yellow is effective even in small doses to add brightness and energy to a space or design. I agree! It’s hard not to be uplifted by the right shade of golden yellow.
The French Resistance, A New Look, and how beauty brings hope
The New Look (Apple TV+, premiered February 2024) shows the inside struggles of the high fashion Parisian couture design houses struggling to stay afloat through the Nazi occupation of Paris, 1940-1945. This outstanding series exposes the friction between Christian Dior and Coco Chanel at a moment in history when people were faced with life and death decisions of deep moral and ethical repercussions. Haunting secrets of Coco Chanel’s relationships during the war are revealed. Juliette Binoche is cast as the strong-willed Coco Chanel and Ben Mendelsohn as the humble and passionate Christian Dior.
The story of Catherine Dior, Christian Dior’s younger sister who joins the French Resistance is interwoven showing her close relationship with her brother. This series brings light to her courage, determination, and heroism. She survived Ravensbruck, the concentration camp the Nazis sent female members of the Resistance. I wanted to know more about Catherine’s life, so I read the biography by Justine Picardie: Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture. Catherine is an inspiration for strength and survival.
Links:
-A New Look (Apple TV+): Bing Videos
Miss Dior. Justine Picardie. Miss Dior : A Story of Courage and Couture book by Justine Picardie: 9780374210359
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