Commission me to naturally ecoprint your favorite garment!
Let me create a beautiful piece of wearable art from one of your pieces of clothing that you know fits and suits you well! I'll forage for suitable leaves and naturally create a one of a kind piece for you using alchemical plant processes.
This is a unique, creative & variable process, so please read the conditions carefully below before proceeding.
How it works:
- Add this 'Commission' to your shopping cart & checkout, selecting the relevant shipping option (for when I return your item to you).
- You'll receive an email from me with further details including my shipping address.
- Send me your item of clothing, thoroughly washed & clean, clearly labelled with your name & address.
- Email me with any preferences for creative inspiration (see pictures for ideas).
- I'll naturally ecoprint your garment and return it to you by courier. Shipping worldwide.
Please note:
- I welcome any indications that you have for the style that you prefer. Eg busy & chaotic prints, tidy & orderly, simple, orderly etc, or any particular leaf that you are drawn to: Eucalyptus, Rose, Herb Robert, Feijoa, Japanese Maple, Japanese Knotweed etc. However in saying this, I intend to use my own creativity to create a one of a kind piece of wearable art. I'll use your suggestion as a starting point, however the outcome will follow my own creative flair. Thanks for understanding.
- The supplied garment must be 100% natural fibres. Eg. Cotton, Linen, Hemp. Bamboo & Viscose ecoprint well as they're created from natural fibres. Polyester & Acrylic will not dye. 5% polyester in a garment is ok, anymore than this and the fabric will not take up the dye sufficiently to give good results. A blend of natural fibres is ok, eg cotton/linen, linen/viscose etc.
- Ecoprinting onto cotton/linen/hemp etc is a process whereby the tannins from the leaves extracts onto the fabric creating a leafprint. I use a homemade iron mordant to bond the leafprint to the fabric, which results in a black colored print. Please note that I do not dye the fabric a particular color during this process (which would require further mordants which I do not use as not homemade), I simply add the tannin prints to the garment using a natural process. The result will be that your garment will remain pretty much the same original color + black ecoprints on top. If you would like bright orange/red/brown prints on your garment, check out the WOOL commission option.
- You are 100% responsible for supplying a high quality natural fibre garment. I don't take any responsibility for the quality of the fabric supplied, and as below do not offer refunds or exchanges.
- No wedding dresses please. I cannot guarentee results & don't want you to be dissapointed...
- There are no refunds or exchanges. Natural dyeing & ecoprinting is a one of a kind variable process with unique and individual results every time. There are many factors contributing to the results including: quality of the natural fibres, age of garment and how much it's been washed in the past, time of year, quality of leaves used, quality of water, dye process etc etc. I cannot guarentee any particular result. By sending me your garment you are giving me 100% creative license to create a unique piece of wearable art, with no predetermined outcome. If for any reason you don't like the result, it's upto you to gift or pass it onto someone that will.
- There is no definitive timeframe for how long this process will take. I do not do RUSH orders. I will naturally dye your garment when I have the correct materials on hand to do so well, and when creative inspiration takes me. This could take anywhere from a few days to a month. I'll endeavour to return your item to you within a month max.
- Please note that I grow or forage all of the plants that I use to ecoprint. The plants vary with the seasons, some leaves are not available in the middle of winter etc, some leaves I cannot forage easily. Please be prepared for variation, and as above it may take me some time to source certain leaves.
- If you have thoroughly read and agree to all of the above, please continue to checkout and I look forward to working some creative magic on your garment!
About the pricing: Naturally ecoprinting onto cellulose fibres (cotton, linen, hemp etc) requires additional scouring, mordanting and post washing which is a time consuming & slow process. It takes longer to do this on cellulose fibres than on wool, which is why there is a difference in price. The quoted price also takes into account the time involved in liaising with you, admin etc for creating a piece to order. Thanks for understanding.
More about the process:
Botanical Printing / Natural dyeing / Ecoprinting is a slow process where fabric is dyed and printed using the natural tannins, color & prints of botanicals (plants, leaves, roots, bark, flowers, lichens etc). Much like our ancestors did for generations, clothing can be colored using nature’s abundance without the use of synthetic, toxic & dangerous chemicals. The colors are truely natural (found in my garden or foraged around my neighborhood, not out of packets), depicting the colors of my local surroundings & the ever changing seasons.
The very slow process involves essentially ‘cooking’ the fabric in a dye pot (a big herbal brew of plants materials) & printing patterns onto the fabric by way of bundling (wrapping botanicals into the fabric), often creating unique repeating patterns or string marks. Results vary and each piece is unique and unlike any other, with a story of it’s own held within. The plants, fabric, water quality, time of year, cooking time and many other aspects of the process create a boundless number of variables and resulting colors & patterns. Nothing like a bit of plant alchemy to spice up your wardrobe with magic.
No chemicals are used, therefore dangerous substances are not leached into our waterways (polluting the planet and destroying our ecosystems) or onto our skin and into our blood stream (disrupting hormones & even causing birth defects). Most natural dyers use so called ‘natural mordants’. Many of these are highly processed & refined, mined substances, sold in little plastic packets. Whilst I understand the use of these (to create color fastness) I also fundamentally disagree with mining & plastic and prefer to use locally available, natural materials. I do not use any mordants, instead relying on the natural mordanting properties of selected botanicals and the correct fabric combinations. I do use rust as a mordant, handmade over months from old rusty nails from my property (often gives a dark/black color). Given the lack of synthetic mordants, each garment will naturally fade with time, washing & exposure to sunlight. This is an incredibly slow & beautiful process to watch unfold, adding to the individuality and uniqueness of each garment. I love to see how prints sometimes become more vivid whilst background colors fade & mute, during this unhindered aging process.
Each piece takes me at least 3-5 days to complete. From ‘foraging’ for the second hand merino, washing & scouring (preparing the fabric for dyeing, removing toxic chemicals & stains etc), preparing the dyepot (which can take from 2-24hrs), collecting the fallen leaves, bundling the fabric, ‘cooking’ the fabric in the dyebath, curing after dyeing, washing, washing, washing to remove residues, then drying, ironing, sewing in my handmade & handprinted label, photographing, describing, uploading to my website and then of course preparing to send to you (with recycled minimal packaging materials). Wowza, what a slow process.
Every step is intentional & creative, filled with magic, anticipation & suprise.
I hope that you can value this unique & slow process as much as I do, & cherish your garment for years to come.