We are crushing hard on this small studio up in the Northwest dreaming up workshops based on wild-crafted elements and traditional artisan techniques. In the midst of city living, it's natural DIYs like this one that seem almost other-worldly - dying silk with wild fennel, berries and grapes? Now that's a fashion trend beyond our normal scope. Wildcraft Studio School first caught our eye with these handmade sandals. Try your hand at a little dye-making yourself with the school's founder Chelsea Heffner or plan a visit to Santa Barbara to experience the workshop for yourself. Here's Chelsea... There are plenty of great dye plants in Southern California, many of them appear as roadside weeds or common trees and shrubs you might not even notice, like eucalyptus (most varieties contain potent dye within their leaves and stems), prickly pear fruits that grow off cactus trees, and wild fennel that sprouts up in neglected areas from Ventura down to San Diego. Dye plants are all around, it just takes a little time and patience to find, collect and transform them into beautiful dyes for textiles. I’ll be teaching a class on Southern California dye plants at this amazing art space in Santa Barbara called The Lower Lodge on September 20th for anyone who’d like to learn the process from start to finish. We’ll be collecting and identifying plants, mordanting fibers, and each student will leave with a sample book and a hand-dyed silk scarf. If you’d like to try some experiments on your own, here is a quick DIY natural dye recipe!
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