Learning to Love Nature

The older I get, the more dedicated I become to using all natural ingredients and materials in my work. It's ridiculous, really. I am completely aware that anyone can buy an adorable dish towel from a chain store for under $5. And yet, the Beyond Her line continues to get more expensive each year. Because of the natural thing.

This year, I had two goals: (1) to forage as much dye material as possible from the Central Texas area surrounding the Beyond Her studio, and (2) to use as much of the previously purchased material in my studio, fabric, blanks, dyes, inks etc. There was a lot.

The 2024 Collection is truly all natural. The towels themselves are all cotton, purchased from a supplier I've used for years. They are good quality, and will soften and get more absorbent with every wash.

I have always used water-based inks, which are very different from the plastisol inks used by commercial printers. Although they are very durable and permanent, they are so low in chemicals that they are safe to wash up in the sink. And they smell lovely, unlike the inks that require MSDS safety sheets.

Building on my experience the past few years, this year I collected, stored and experimented with

• Pecans from my yard and local parks (which became the pinkish towels
• Goldenrod from the Hiway 529 roadside (which this year became a bright yellow, requiring over-dyeing!)
• Eucalyptus from Santa Ana, CA, which is a gorgeous golden
• Crepe Myrtle from my trees in Houston, which produced another shade of gold
• Pomegranate skins from an amazingly prolific bush in La Grange, creating yet another shade of buff
• Pear and peach bark from LG trees, which resulted in a lovely pink and a delicious orange​

But here's the thing with natural dyes — and all natural materials, First of all, the colors are subtle — so subtle that they really cannot mate with commerically produced dyes. They just pale in comparison.

But together, they are truly beautiful, and I've learned to love them. In fact, I am often just blown away by the generosity of nature in providing places to sit, food to eat and, now, color for our fabrics!  How lucky we are!

The other thing about natural dyes, at least for me at this stage, is that they are not totally consistent, nor do they produce reliable results. There are specks and striations through all these dye batches, in spite of my straining and care. Also, and it's the most amazing thing, one tree can produce one color one year, and another the next — depending on the soil and growing conditions. Even the composition of the  fabric. Mind blown! 

I just hope people are willing to come along with me on this journey. To discover the nature of nature, with all its idiosyncrasies, and appreciate its quiet power.