A Botanical Solar Dye Workshop MALT

Returning to Ourselves Through Nature & Color

A Botanical Solar Dye Workshop Reflection

I recently had the joy of guiding a botanical solar dye class at the Woodmere Art Museum in partnership with Mt. Airy Learning Tree and it stayed with me long after it ended.

There’s always a moment at the beginning of gatherings where everything feels a little quiet. People arrive carrying the weight of their day….the to do lists, the responsibilities, the heavy things we all move through. And then, slowly, something begins to shift.

Hands start reaching for flowers.
Fabric is transforming.
Color is placed with intention.

And just like that, the energy softens.

As I shared my own story…how this process supported me during a season when I needed grounding and calm I could feel the room begin to open.

Throughout the class, I heard it again and again:
“This is so calming.”
“I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”
“I just want to keep doing this.”

One moment that deeply stayed with me was a mother who shared how hard it’s been to return to her creative practice while raising a young child. She spoke about missing that part of herself and how this experience gave her a way back in.

That’s the magic of this and I literally teared up.

It’s not just about dyeing fabric.
It’s about creating space….space to breathe, to reconnect.

In a world that constantly asks us to produce, respond, and keep up, this process gently invites something different:
to slow down,
to notice,
to create without pressure.

And in doing so, something shifts internally. There’s a quiet reminder that you are here, that you are capable, that you can make something beautiful.

When someone shares that this experience met them at exactly the moment they needed it that it helped them feel calm, or connected, or like themselves again… that’s everything. yESSS!!