a Pink Squirrel for a Cause
Last weekend, I was blessed to attend a natural plant-dyeing workshop in Winston Salem, NC. The workshop was an inspiration of artist Jessica Singerman ~ who wanted a community collaboration where people could learn about natural dyeing and dye fabric for her installation next spring. As a bonus, participants could dye a few of their own pieces.
We had three dye options: root madder, weld and pomegranate. I chose pomegranate, and it all looked great until I overdid it a bit. I dunked my fabric too many times in a solution after it was dyed.
My over-exuberance left the fabric a bit darker than I wanted.
On the drive home, I reflected on events that had happened in another part of my state. Hurricane Helene had just came through and decimated so many communities in the Western North Carolina area.
While I'd been stirring natural plant dye into water wanting to create something beautiful > water from the hurricane flooded, destroyed, and wreaked havoc on people, animals, plants.
I decided to turn my two bandanas into something hopeful. Using a Sublime Stitching squirrel design from Jenny Hart, I stitched a pink squirrel on the first bandana. Then, I decided to sell it and donate 100% of the profit to a cause helping Western North Carolina.
My artist friend Barrie Kaufman sometimes tells me you have to work at your art for 10,000 hours to be good. I will not likely embroider 10,000 hours. The stitches are a bit rough, and the fabric color a bit off - and yet, so much heart has gone into this piece of fabric.
If it speaks to you, there's one bandana and one more coming (hopefully soon).
If you purchase this bandana, you can also choose the charity the money goes to in WNC > so many options ~ animal, artist and more.
There's only one - a great gift for self or another person who cares about the planet and its' beings :)
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