Category: Aranya Naturals

Silk Scarves from Aranya

The last days of my trip to India were spent at the Srishti Welfare Center visiting the Aranya Natural Dye Unit. The Center is located in Munnar, Kerala, Southern India nestled in the midst of a tea plantation. I worked with the amazing artisans to help them create three new colors for their palette of natural dyes. It had been five years since my last visit – it was wonderful to see them – there was so much catching up to do!

I also brought back lots of beautiful scarves they had dyed and a few handmade journals from the paper making unit, Athulya.

The sale of the scarves and journals benefit both Srishti and Stories of Hope!

You can purchase these beautiful items on The Yarn Tree’s website:

Aranya Silk Scarves

 

Checking the color
Checking the color
Look at these beautiful new colors!!
Look at these beautiful new colors!!

Aranya Naturals

Rainy day in Munnar – worked at Aranya with the wonderful folks making color.

Today we worked on lovely silk scarves dyeing shades of soft purple and magenta using Lac and Cochineal. Tomorrow we will make those same colors on superior Pashmina. We will also try for a lavender. The dyers were so excited to create new colors with me and I am so happy to be working with them again.

It was so much fun to see all the new techniques they have learned – some of their own creation. They loved showing me what they were doing – shibori, dip dyeing, block printing, sewing and pressing and more was going on. Great color combinations – everything so beautiful!

A day of smiles all around.

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