It is almost the end of the Gregorian year. What a year it has been (in many, very conflicting ways). I feel that before I can start setting goals for 2024, I should be looking back at 2023 with gratitude. I feel that after a good few years of working really (really) hard, I can now focus on a healthy home/work balance and also spend time on my personal spiritual development.
Before I start with the highlights of each month, I must first thank YOU. The people who visit my website, read my posts and comment or write me back. Nobody wants to work in a vacuum, and it is so nice to know we have this warm nurturing community. Especially when the war broke out and so many people checked in with me, I appreciate it so much.
So what were the highlights this year, dye-related?
January
A big dye project: dyeing 12 handwoven wool scarves red with madder roots. This was the follow-up on a re-enactment of dyeing goat skins red, a project for Phd student Daniel Sánchez Muñoz from Spain.
February
I studied aluminium lactate as a mordant, and some sampling of vegan wool to see if it would be a good alternative to regular wool, I also made a prayer shawl that I am really proud of.
I finished the sample books I wanted to make for the longest time.
The blog that compares aluminium lactate to other aluminium based mordants can be found here.
March
I received the request to participate in an exhibition about sustainability in fashion. That started the project of dyeing over 130 samples of dyes on silk charmeuse. This was by far the most complicated dye project I have done and would take me two months to finish.
In March I did most of the yellows and greens.
April
April was all about frantically making it to the finish line for the exhibition. I was lucky two ladies came to help me and I made it. But can you imagine even ironing 133 samples?
You can see more pictures and a video of this exhibition here.
May
A successful workshop in the Netherlands, back to where I was born. Amersfoort had beautiful weather and beautiful participants who studied natural dyes with me for three days. I even managed to meet up with Elly who was teaching 100 meters from me.
June
The opportunity arrose to join the studio of Sandrine Rozier for an intense group effort of replicating 50+ shades in natural dyes from the recipe book of Paul Gout, 18th century Master Dyer. I met with Dominique Cardon whos work I have been a great fan of for many years.
Those were 5 days of hard work and it was mostly in French, which was challenging (especially when your hearing is deteriorating). Have a look at that feast of color there.
You can read all about that visit here.
July
In July I was asked to work on a project that had been living in my head for a long time: recreate samples of the colors mentioned in the Jewish texts.
These samples will hang in the permanent display of the Ptil Tekhelet exhibition about biblical dyes. Ptil Tekhelet is in Israel, and they dedicate themselves to the creation and education of murex dye.
The wool I used is a replica of 18th-century broadcloth.
I would make this again using wool that is closer to what would have originally been worn in the period of the first and second Temple, but that may be a project for 2024.
Read more about these colors here.
August
We traveled to Mexico as a family. I taught a week class in San Miguel de Allende and the rest of that month was spent on traveling and visiting friends in Mexico.
It was the longest adventure we've had abroad and it was amazing. (I will do anything to be able to avoid august in Israel, as it is so HOT).
The workshop had a great group with some return students (it is SO nice) and some of the studenmts who came to San Miguel will now also join me in the Netherlands in May 2024.
In august we also started the greeting card exchange which is still running.
September
A jetlag, catching up with studio tasks, a wedding and a plethora of Jewish holidays, it was an intense month but we made it.
Dye-wise not many things worth sharing but I will share the colored threads I made for a Judaica designer. I love those funky colors. I also started dyeing my own cloths (because the cobler walks barefoot) and I had a small private workshop for a lovely lady whodesigns furniture from cotton rope.
Oktober
On October 7, we woke up to the sounds of rockets and alarms. That evening our studio got hit by a rocket. A few days in, I was called to the task of dyeing tzitzit army green for our soldiers. After a failed attempt to do it naturally with pomegranate skins, I had to switch to synthetic dyes due to the sheer volume and time pressure of the job. In the end, I dyed 1100 shirts.
This is the place to thank everyone who donated so we could get all the shirts, the dyes, and the gear and drive the shirts to where they needed to be.
You can read more about that project here.
In October I was also supposed to travel to Indonesia to meet and work with the incredible EcoPrinting community on Java. That flight was canceled because of the war, but they still made me feel like I was part of the festival and I love my friends Inen, Masrur, Connie, Grace, and Penny for cheering me up.
November
In Indonesia, I was also supposed to meet with Jeff Garner for his upcoming movie. So that went bust...and I was not really elegant about it to be honest. But then we had the opportunity to make up for it in Italy so off I went...
Three days of views, fresh air, dyeing at the edge of lake Como, and great conversations about the future of fashion.
December
This year went by so fast! In December I have been teaching a lot, made sure to meet a lot of friends (mental health!) and managed to squeeze in a surprising amount of botanical printing.
So far, all of what you see has been pretty much a one-woman show, with one assistant for shipping and my husband cheering on from the sidelines. From building the website, communicating with you, sourcing and importing materials, dealing with burocracy and paperwork, writing the blogs and doing social media.
It is becoming too big to do alone, and I should not. On the other hand: letting go is not easy, and outsourcing to the right people takes time and strategy. It takes faith and lots of deep breaths too.
So that is what I look forward to this new year: to make room for other people to join us, and for me to be able to keep concentrating on learning more so I can create more.
What is your biggest takeaway from 2023? Did you learn something you are especially proud of? I would love to read about it in the comments.
