The Amazing World of Natural Dyes
An interview with Rebecca Desnos
For those of us who consider ourselves decidedly “not crafty,” it can be absolutely amazing to see the things that other people are capable of making. Oftentimes it’s something that never even crossed my mind to make, and yet there is a person who both thought of it, made it, and did it well. Today I want to share an interview with one of those people with you. The craft? Plant dyeing.
Rebecca Desnos is a natural dyer, mother, and writer living in the UK. After learning how to make clothes, she decided she wanted to learn to dye the fabrics as well. This led to her discovering the world of natural dyes, and once she started down that path she was hooked. Since at the time she lived in an apartment with only a balcony, she started foraging for the plants to use in her craft. Slowly but surely she built up her knowledge of plants, learned to identify them when she was out walking, and learned from experimentation what colors they could produce on fabric.
The process overall she describes as simple; it involves heating water in a large pot with whatever plant you plan to use, and then soaking the pre-treated fabric in it. You can also hammer dye the shapes and colors of leaves and flowers onto fabrics, instead of dyeing the whole piece one color. The fabric colors she gets from this are beautiful, and it looks tempting to try it out! But even if you never try dyeing fabric yourself, this whole interview is just an inspiring and delightful read. And perhaps it will inspire you to get out and learn a few new plants by name yourself. Rebecca describes this as one of her main motivations and joys in the process:
“The bigger aspect for me is actually getting to know the nature around me. When I lived in a town near London, it was getting to know the local park with the woods that I had up the road, and seeing all the different plants pop up. And suddenly it wasn’t just a mass of green anymore; within a hedge, I could begin to identify all the different plants that made up that hedge. It encouraged me to open my eyes and see what was around me.
You know, I walked down the same roads for years and I wasn’t aware of what I was seeing. Foraging gives every walk a new purpose. It’s not just a walk down the road, it’s like: “What might I see today?” Everything took on a new meaning. And I think when you slow down, and stop, and look at things, it makes life more enjoyable. Especially when I started having children. It’s nice to point these things out to them and help them learn about plants, and not just see a mass of green, but focus in on details.
It’s just exciting learning about plants. And with all these plant identification apps, I’m constantly snapping photos and working out what they are, and trying to learn new plants every week.”
Please enjoy reading the whole interview below, and if you enjoy it, you can follow along with her adventures on instagram.
