Lithospermum erythrorhizon, a plant species in the genus Lithospermum. Commonly called purple gromwell, red gromwell, red-root gromwell and redroot lithospermum. Also known as Shikon because the main dye compound is Shikonin, which is the chemical mirror image of the more widely used dye compound alkanin that is found in dyer’s alkanet. Shikonin and alkanin are both naphthoquinones. [...]

For centuries, the precise nature of the Biblical tekhelet, the sacred blue mentioned in the Torah, remained an enigma. In the Book of Numbers (15:38), we read: “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a cord of blue [tekhelet] on the fringe at each corner.” But what was tekhelet, and [...]

Linen is one of the oldest, most versatile, and most eco-friendly textiles in Europe. Made from the flax plant, it is strong, breathable, beautiful, and long-lasting. In the Netherlands, linen has a deep and fascinating history, connected not only to trade and textile production, but also to family life, marriage traditions, and women’s domestic work. [...]

From carefully calibrated wool samples to slow stitching with local makers, this residency held both structure and openness, color, process, and the kind of connection you can’t really plan.

can natural dyes fight germs? what the research really says (and why we don’t slap it on product pages) Look, I use natural dyes because they are the most beautiful to me, but here is another to give it a try: A growing body of lab research shows that several traditional colorants can also reduce [...]

Natural dyeing in the youngest democracy in the world. I traveled to Timor Leste in November 2024 at the invitation of Hilly Bouwman, founder and manager of RELOKA. This NGO is a training, production, and marketing initiative to promote the capacities of persons of different abilities. ReLoka creates environmentally responsible products, using local and recycled [...]

Indonesian weaving is a vibrant tradition filled with unique techniques, materials, and motifs, it is diverse as the archipelago is large. Traveling in Indonesia and Timor Leste for one month, was not nearly enough to learn all I wanted, but it gave me a beautiful glimpse into a rich cultural heritage that is very much [...]

Create a unique hand-dyed textile using simple ingredients. I have been playing around with resist paste in combination with natural dyes when I was after some specific visual. There are many types of resists and they can be complicated or straightforward. I will show a few options, and then also show what I did (which [...]

Sukumo indigo vats have a reputation for being mysterious, complex, and (if we’re honest) intimidating. After reading countless traditional recipes and trying to make sense of them in a modern studio, I realized something: most explanations either romanticize the process... or make it unnecessarily complicated. So I decided to test it myself. Sukumo indigo has [...]

There have been a lot of posts from me on social media about Tzitzit, and people are asking me left and right: what are Tzitzit. So here is another installment of “Things you did not know about Jewish Life”. Tzitzit are fringes or tassels that are worn by Jewish men and boys from age three [...]

I am always looking for textiles that are unique, that have additional meaning, and that support a community. So when I got introduced to a Kechene weaving community in Addis Ababa through connections in Israel and a young man named Abere, I knew I had to overcome all the logistic and cultural challenges to make [...]

In my quest to give a more profound, layered meaning to my work, I have been diving increasingly into the history of natural dyes. This has resulted already in specific dye-related trips to Oaxaca-Mexico and the South of France (see also this blog about the 18th-century French dye internship that took place), The Netherlands, and [...]

In the summer of 2022, I visited Mexico for almost a month. I started with a visit to Mexico City and Cuernavaca, then moved to San Miguel de Allende for two weeks to teach a workshop in natural dyeing and botanical printing. I will start this blog by stating I feel that whatever I learned [...]

As I worked my way through several 18th century dye manuals I could not miss the reference to using natural dyes in calico printing. Calico is a simple name for many different techniques that involve the application of patterned mordants and dyes with the use of wooden carved blocks, or with pencils, or screens, Calico [...]

I went to visit the fields in Brabant where Rubia tinctorum has been cultivated since the 14th century, when it was brought to Europe from Asia by Karel The Great. In fact, it had the name of being the best crop available throughout the 18th century (E. Bancroft). There is something very profound about reviewing [...]

Prune de Monsieur, the durable logwood mordant. The logwood discoveries have been ongoing over the last few months. Logwood (campecheianum heamatoxylon) really is a crowd pleaser. Stunning purples, blues, greys and blacks from a tree that is fast-growing, easy to use in dyeing, and extra bonus; economical. it would have been the greatest dye on [...]

The last months (and months to come) I am working on a project that contains a series of up cycled wedding dresses. This is the first one; Redemption Dress The work that has forced me to have a long, hard look at myself. Who am I, in my core. What’s me and what do I [...]