Ready for some of the prettiest photos of the prettiest plant-dyed silks and linens I’ve ever laid eyes upon? You might know that I’ve recently got into natural dyeing, having dyed my first fabrics with onion skins earlier this spring. Botanical dyeing is next on my list. It combines so many of my very favorite things: color, flowers, nature, and craft, all with the element of surprise, as each result is truly one of a kind. Which is why I was so pleased to happen across Soil to Studio‘s stunning botanically dyed scarves, linens, and decor (and paper, even!). Read on to learn more about them + their upcoming botanical dyeing workshop.
Wow. Breathtaking.
Soil to Studio is a Brooklyn based textile design studio with a fascination for and appreciation of slow making, artisan craft, and Indian textile tradition. Founder Swati Bansal was born and raised in a small town in India, where she grew up creating with textiles. Years, and a career in finance later, Bansal founded Soil to Studio which works with craft communities in India to weave, dye, and print their textiles by hand using traditional techniques. (Read more here.)
Truly makes my heart skip a beat.
As you may be aware, India’s Covid-19 second wave has been and continues to be completely devastating; whereas many of us are vaccinated and looking forward to a “normal” summer, most of India is not only far from vaccination, but suffering from a tragic lack of resources–including oxygen. (Here’s a great resource on the COVID crisis in India, if you are interested in learning more.)
Soil to Studio also dyes in small batches in their US studio. With production shut down in India, they are currently dyeing from home.
They are offering an amazing opportunity to learn more about botanical dyeing in an upcoming virtual workshop, with proceeds going to Breathe India. This workshop on June 19th comes at a serendipitous time as I explore this new hobby further, so I signed up right away! Through the site you can opt-in for a dye kit to receive the materials needed for the tutorial as well. And if you can’t make it the 19th, you’ll be able to watch the recording on your own time.
We’re planning to do many more brand spotlights here on wallflower as our blog grows, and these beautiful photos seemed like the perfect place to start.
Soil to Studio Breathe India Fundraiser – Bundle Dye Workshop
These botanical textiles are part of Soil to Studio’s plant-dyed collection. To see their full range of home and lifestyle decor, click here. Be sure to follow along at @soiltostudio for more natural beauty!
So much beauty is woven throughout India’s history–I am thankful for small business like the one above for their efforts in preserving these beautiful and sustainable crafts.
*All photos by Soil to Studio.
