Have I mentioned lately how much I love the work of both India Flint and Secret Lentil?
I’ve been following Helen of Secret Lentil for years (which sounds a bit stalker-ish now I come to think of it), but haven’t quite managed to buy anything from her yet. A few years ago I saved up very hard for a dress that I loved, and somebody else bought it THE DAY BEFORE I got paid. I’m still a bit sad about that.
I always have to fight this vague feeling of “oh well I could make that myself anyway”, because of course I do have a mountain of cotton jersey and an overlocker right here, but obviously it’s not as simple as that. I start with patterns and plans and write myself instructions. Helen builds imaginary clothes that live in her head. How cool is that?!
India Flint I learned about when I bought her “Eco Colour” book, and tried out a few experiments with natural dyeing. India’s clothes have a strong connection to the location where they were created, having been dyed by the plants, earth and water of the places where they were made.
I have lots of plans in mind for future plant dyeing projects, and I have a freezer filled with sumac and rhubarb and raspberry leaves, and avocado stones and skins, just waiting to come out and add colour to something. Where I get stuck is with the thought that I need to design the “perfect dress” before I can dye it, otherwise it’ll be a waste of cloth and plants and time and water and heat.
(Don’t tell anybody, but… sometimes I wonder what I could come up with if I just made whatever I liked, and didn’t spend so much time worrying about what other people might want to buy.)