About the artist
I’ve always found purpose in both art and nature, even from a young age, so my path toward becoming a botanical dye artist feels like a natural evolution. While I can’t recall the exact moment I began experimenting with natural dyes myself, I can clearly remember where my journey truly began.
In September of 2016, while attending the Common Ground Fair in Maine, I met a vendor selling eco-printed textiles. I was instantly captivated by her ability to imprint beautiful, perfectly imperfect leaf prints onto fabric. I purchased a piece of dyed yardage, unsure of what I would create with it, but knowing I needed to bring a piece of her art home with me.
It wasn’t until 2020, after months of reading and learning as much as I could, that I decided to finally try my hand at natural dyeing. What began as a simple curiosity quickly grew into a passion, and after the birth of my first child, that passion blossomed into the small business you see today.
This work has become a creative refuge- a gentle counterbalance to the chaos of the world. It allows me to honor seasonal rhythms, embrace stillness, and cultivate meaningful connections within my community.
Your support means the world to me. Whether you bring a piece home, follow along on Instagram, share my work with a friend, or simply pause to admire the colors, each gesture helps me continue creating, learning, teaching, inspiring a little whimsy, and supporting my family.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
- Carolyn Sommer
The process
I do my best to choose materials that honor the planet: organic, sustainable, and ethically sourced as much as possible. I believe that quality fibers are the foundation of long-lasting, meaningful clothing. The intention woven into them sets the stage to transform these blank fibers into living art.
Before any fabric meets a dye bath or the imprint of a leaf, it goes through a slow, multi-step pre-treatment ritual (often 2–4 hours or more). This tender preparation helps each piece hold its color as faithfully as possible to resist fading, shifting, or washing away like a daydream. I carefully select dyes that are more resistant to these changes, however, natural dyes are often referred to as “living color” because, over time, colors can change. In my experience, when natural dyes fade, they do so subtly and beautifully.
The final cost of each item reflects many things: the fibers themselves, the materials used to prepare them, the dyes (or the labor of growing the dye plants with my own two hands), and the many hours spent guiding them from raw cloth to finished work. What you see isn’t just clothing or a simple accessory- it’s wearable art, shaped by sunlight, soil, and patience.
