Spring - shoots of growth

After the clocks change and the ground warms up, things suddenly start to grow. And grow. The woad that was left in the dye garden has started to flower, making seed for future plants. The madder that died back in the winter has shot up and is already a couple of foot tall, so I can only start to imagine the roots growing , creating red for dye baths.

It feels like we are all coming out of hibernation and started to furiously create - I have recently had the chance to meet and talk natural dyes to https://abeerkayani.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/samanthajones457/?hl=en, which I found very energising. Abeer spends half her time in Pakistan and engages both audiences with her love of textiles and the emotional significance of home and objects.

Sam is creating a wonderful dye garden in Farnham to bring people together and is following her own passion for indigo.

I have had the opportunity to visit Sussex and the Vanessa Bell exhibition, stopping at Knepp rewilding on the way and grabbing some ideas for the dye garden. Sussex is a beautiful county with a very lively creative community and Open Studio event. Whenever I have a day away from my own work and studio I return with fresh eyes - remembering that it is so important to meet people, talk, and see myself as part of a bigger entity - one involving generations of makers. All trying to make the world a little bit better with making beautiful things.