Eco Printing Silk Scarves at Morris Arboretum

Sometimes the Best Opportunities Arrive Unexpectedly!

This course almost wasn't mine to teach.

A few weeks before the class, Stephanie from Morris Arboretum Gardens (located in Chestnut Hill Philly) reached out looking for someone who could step in after the original instructor was no longer able to teach this Spring course .

I remember hearing her, feeling excited and also thinking, Could I really pull this together in time?

Although I had taught eco printing workshops in the past, it had been a while. Still, I knew this technique well. Over the years I'd immersed myself in learning the relationship between tannins, iron, and botanical printing, taking countless classes, collecting and processing oak galls when I lived in California, and most importantly, learning from my mentor, Karen. I know the science behind this technique and have deeply experimented to feel comfortable teaching it but like all natural dyeing goes, the results will be different every time! Of course I

said yes.

Then the real work began for a 4 hour course and honestly a lot of things had to align for it to happen!

Luckily a storm brought down a branch of Staghorn Sumac in my neighborhood….perfect for eco printing

and it felt like a little gift just in time for the course.

The evening before the class, I was outside making fresh sample silk scarves. As the bundles steamed away, I looked up to see dark clouds rolling in. Then came the lightning.

I still had about five minutes left.

If you've ever eco printed, you know those last few minutes matter. I stood there debating whether to leave them or run for cover, I grabbed them early and opened them the next morning….. they were some of my favorite samples I've ever made.

The participants couldn't believe they had been created less than six hours before class :)

Of course, like any live course :), there were a few unexpected moments along the way. Natural dyeing rarely follows a perfectly straight path, and sometimes teaching means solving problems in real time.

Uh so partway through the class, the burners in the teaching kitchen suddenly started smoking. Since I had never taught in this space before, I had to make a decision quickly. I remember what Stephanie mentioned and calmly carried the large pots downstairs to another kitchen with a gas stove so we could keep everything moving.

One of the things that made this experience so special was working with Stephanie, who coordinates educational programming at the Arboretum. Her passion for creating thoughtful, inspiring experiences for the community is evident in everything she does. It's clear how much care goes into cultivating programs that invite people to connect with nature, creativity, and one another. I felt incredibly grateful to be a small part of that mission.

Looking back, I realize this class reminded me that t

hat confidence doesn't come from everything going according to plan. It comes from countless failed experiments and trusting yourself enough to figure things out when the unexpected smoke happens.

To everyone who spent the afternoon printing with leaves / flowers, asking thoughtful questions, embracing the surprises, and sharing your stories, THANK YOU!!

And to Stephanie and staff at Morris Arboretum, thank you for being a place that been a satunatry for me as a mother, natural dyer, and teacher.

I'm already looking forward to returning this September to teach Wear the Garden, where we'll transform our own garments into one-of-a-kind botanical works of art using the magic of solar dyeing. STAY TUNED!

Hopefully the next class will have a little less unexpected happenings but you never know when dyeing with plants!