My Process

The Alchemy of Plant Colors: My Process

Every tank top in this collection is a wearable piece of art, completely shaped by nature.

I practice a slow-craft method known as eco-printing (or botanical contact printing). Unlike modern commercial clothing which relies on mass-production machinery, my process requires only patience, water, heat, and raw botanical elements.

How It Works

  1. Foraging the Garden: I wander through my garden and woods on my 10 acres of land, and I also gather seasonal leaves and flowers on my brother-in-law's adjacent 90 acres—like vibrant cosmos, marigolds, maple and sumac leaves. I also forage for leaves and flowers in parking lots, cemeteries and along the side of the road.
  2. Prepping the Fabric: Before any color can bond, the cotton fabric is meticulously washed in hot water (this step is called Scouring) and soaked in a solution called a mordant consisting of natural materials like vinegar and alum to ensure the botanical prints remain permanently colorfast. 
  3. The Layering Art: I hand-arrange the freshly picked materials directly onto the damp fabric. Every placement is intuitive, creating a design that can never be replicated.
  4. Bundling & Steaming: The clothing is wrapped tightly around pipes using string (or ace bandages)—a process that creates beautiful abstract resist lines and to help create a very tight roll. These bundles are then placed into a hot bath sometimes infused with natural pigments, like onion skins, and steamed for 30 minutes to an hour. Under heat and pressure, the plants naturally release their hidden colors and pigments directly into the fibers.
  5. The Reveal: Once unrolled, washed, and dried, a completely permanent, abstract or hyper-detailed mirror image of the garden is left behind on the fabric. Embrace the variations, knowing your garment is unique!

Why Botanical Clothing Matters

Because I work hand-in-hand with nature, no two shirts in my studio will ever look identical. When you buy a tank from my shop, you are investing in a slow, zero-waste process that respects the earth. The subtle shifts in tone and pattern are not flaws—they are the beautiful, living signatures of nature itself.

COLORS MAY VARY FROM WHAT YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN. Eco Prints are notoriously hard to photograph. Many factors affect color, such as lighting, screen settings, dye batch, and fabric.