Natural Colour
Hello, I'm Melanie, a natural dyer and textile artist living and producing my work in the beautiful countryside south of Bath. I've been experimenting with natural dyes since 2015 when I wanted to make some naturally dyed wool yarn. I created a little range of naturally dyed wool but quickly became hooked and started dying fabric too. I love to explore the dye possibilities of local plants and have found myself to be more and more interested in British flora. I sometimes use more exotic extracts and plants to increase my colour palette, particularly indigo and eucalyptus.
I make dyes from leaves, flowers, bark, berries, acorns, oak galls, etc., and also use a method that transfers dye straight from leaves onto fabric. The results can be really detailed and beautiful!
All of my silk scarves, shawls, necklaces, aprons and home wares are handmade by me with only natural fibres such as silk, wool, linen, hemp and cotton. I use responsibly sourced new materials and re-purpose old, vintage and secondhand materials too. My textile art uses the same techniques, combining naturally dyed fabrics with hand-stitched details and my own handmade felt.
The natural world inspires me to create pieces that capture a moment in time and place.
The process begins with plants, many of which are foraged from around my home, my work, my favourite places or on trips around the country in Windy, our vintage caravan. Sometimes, if leaves are scarce, I visit my local florist for eucalyptus and rose leaves to use in the dyeing process. There are so many opportunities to use everyday materials for dyeing too so I save avocado skins and stones, pick up onion skins from the supermarket and I am always on the look out for rusty pieces of metal to throw into the dye pot!
