This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with natural dyer and specialist of non-toxic natural dyeing techniques and bio-regional, regenerative textile systems, Babs Behan.
Babs is the author of Botanical Inks Plant-To-Print Dyes, Techniques and Projects Founder of Botanical Inks non-toxic natural dye studio and the Bristol Cloth project.
Watch the video recording here:
Follow Botanical Inks and Bristol Cloth on Instagram.
Check out her website here.
From Babs Behan:
“I am committed to the transformation of our textile industry and the possibility of global environmental and cultural regeneration, inspired by my connection with nature. My work is with natural dyes and regenerative bio-regional textile systems.
Bristol Cloth is my offering to demonstrate a holistic bioregional textile system in the UK. I naturally dye the cloth and manage the entire production from fleece to fabric, ensuring it is non-toxic at every single step, so I know that it is possible to create textiles in this way, and I can share this with others. We all need a possibility we can commit ourselves to, and this for me is a starting point for the transformation of local and global bioregional textiles.
I believe in the village-model of collaboration and solidarity, and the importance of fibre sovereignty (along with food and energy sovereignty), to empower ourselves at a local level as people who are connected to, and care for, our land and community.
Bristol Cloth is a collaborative system in which several skilled, caring and passionate artisan producers, processors and manufacturers work together to ensure a high quality product which has a low impact, whilst sustaining British heritage, independent businesses and what this land has always offered.
I offer my knowledge, skills and experience with holistic textile production and non-toxic natural dyeing with others, to support the transformation of our collective towards a holistic regeneration movement. As an artisan natural dyer, teacher, author and consultant.
You can support this movement by purchasing a scarf, blanket scarf, knitting yarn or yardage of cloth for tailoring and accessories here.
Next week…Alison Kelly of Flora Obscura.
Alison is a fiber artist and fashion designer that creates one-of-a-kind textiles for Flora Obscura by adapting ancient natural dye techniques to combine with eco-printing: a process of laying flora directly onto cloth to be alchemically steamed and permanently imprinted with flora.
FEEDBACK FRIDAY
If you are not familiar with FEEDBACK FRIDAY, every week, we speak with dyers, artists, scientists and scholars about our favorite topic, natural dyeing and color. Curated by Amy DuFault, Botanical Colors’ Sustainability and Social Media Director and presented by Botanical Colors’ Founder Kathy Hattori.