to close a wonderful year

Thank you for following my work on this platform, even though I have little energy to post here (for more regular updates please join me over on the BOTANIKA FB page).
Anyway here are some - mostly blue - impressions of the past two months,
I wish you all a beautiful 2015 filled with love & light.

indigo cotton pouch with detachable keychain

indigo cotton pouch with detachable keychain

indigo cotton rope infinity necklaces with vintage metal accents

indigo silk velvet - the ultimate luxe accessory!

oak gall and brazilwood silk velvet scarves - so lush!

since the summer

September and October have been the busiest I've seen in a long while.
From natural dyeing workshops and a special order of indigo goodies by the MAK Design Shop in Vienna  during the 2014 Budapest Design Week, to launching our beautiful new studio space with designer friend, Bori of Pompomdesign, I have been dyeing all colours of the rainbow.

beautiful blues

 I N D I G O

 latest pieces dyed using natural indigo

mini cotton pouches

thick-weave cotton gauze scarves

tones& prints

cotton shoppers in a range of blue tones and prints

cotton canvas pouch

urban herbalism

dyeplants also make healthy teas: I am storing the leftovers in little cotton pouches that I've sewn and dyed with the respective plant (yarrow, goldenrod, St John's wort and walnut leaves) for the autumn and winter months

crochet bracelets

little balls of colour

naturally dyed wool balls for some crochet projects that I have in the works

a holiday with friends and flowers

I spent a few days with dear friends, gathering plants for dyeing and making herbal tea and infusions, walking in meadows and crossing streams, picking fruit and making jam all the while cooking delicious grilled veggie dishes.

little snail-pal, enjoying the moss after rain

we stumbled upon this beautiful little stream

crossing the makeshift "bridge" the wide flower-filled meadow opened up before us

meadow sage /salvia pratensis/

goldenrod /solidago canadensis/

we tied up the bounty into bunches, then hung them up to dry

walnut leaves, St John's Wort, goldenrods, elderberries, yarrow

bunches drying in the early morning sunshine

fruit harvest: pears, plums, elderberries and apricots, topped off with a little lavender

we made jams in 3 flavours: cinnamon & chocolate plum, lavender infused apricot, and elderberry-pear and then dressed up the jars with hand-painted labels, rustic string and mini paper doilies

indigo - here we go!

I've been looking forward to dyeing with natural indigo for a long-long time, but I've been putting it off because it is unlike all other dye-plants. It is an ancient an unique source of colour that works through an elaborate process of oxidation, reacting to the air to bring out the beautiful blue shades.
now finally the blues are here, and I'm thrilled with the first results of my dye experiments.

me, not noticing that there was a hole in the gloves I used while dyeing with indigo

cotton gauze scarf, oxidising after removal from the dye vat

oxidation, phase 1.

oxidation, phase 2.

oxidation, phase 3 - the blues are all here!

blues, and more blues!

indigo on 20 different fabric swatches

photoshoot props

lovely findsfrom the recent dye plant walk took centre stage today at a BOTANIKA photoshoot for the Budapest Design Week catalogue - can't wait to tell you more!

dye plant walk

we went for a dye plant walk yesterday on the outskirts of Budapest, and identified over 15 beautiful natural dye-sources, including St John's wort and Viper's Bugloss as well as some more common varieties such as walnut, elder and wild cherry.

 

St. John's Wort

Viper's Bugloss

macramé & natural dyes

first experiments

dyed uing onion skins and rose petals

new clutch

a new clutch style in soft pastel shades

greens and blues

forest canopy

mineral pendants in shades of green and blue

sorbet colours

naturally dyed cotton gauze scarves

sneak preview