Nature Inspired

june 2026

I thought I would share a little of what I have been up to lately.

Over the past few weeks, I have been working on some new wall hanging designs inspired by the nature around my studio. It is my favourite time of year, when wildflowers are everywhere. All the roses in our garden are in bloom, and a surprise poppy in our courtyard finally shows it’s beautiful flowers.

When I start designing a new wall hanging, I often leaf through my sketchbook for ideas. But more often than not, inspiration comes from flowers unexpectedly. Sometimes I do not even know exactly why. It is a very organic process, and I feel it suits the way I make my textile pieces and how I choose colours.
 

Like the cactus that grows just outside my studio on the garden wall. I walk past it many times, but then somehow I suddenly find it inspiring because of it’s soft, powdery shades of green. When I return to the studio, I carry those colours with me and try to translate them through natural dyeing.

With this small collection, I imagined the embroidered insect details from the beginning. Normally I only add these details once the piece has been painted and dyed, but this time I wanted to see if I could incorporate the insects into the design itself. The caterpillar and butterflies came from previous pieces inspired by 17th-century paintings, and I wanted to explore that idea a little further.
 

Choosing the right colours for these embroidered insects is always a bit of a challenge. I am constantly wondering whether the embroidery should complement the dyed colours or stand out on their own. I spend a long time looking at different embroidery threads, thinking about which colours work well together and how they fit with the illustrated wall hanging itself. It can be frustrating at times, but to me that only means I am on the right track as this is all part of the creative process.
 

What I love about these embroidered details is how they draw your eye from the whole piece to a small corner where a butterfly lives. It reminds me of sitting outside and watching butterflies and bees come and go among the lavender bushes.
 

Not far from our home there is a field in the middle of the forest full of wildflowers. There are so many different colours and shapes. It is one of my favourite places to visit at this time of year.

I take my sketchbook there and spend some time drawing. Sometimes I make sketches of flowers and leaves. Sometimes I bring home a flower or leaf to use as inspiration for future projects.

Nature is always inspiring me. There is always something new to discover, whether it is a flower blooming in the garden or a field full of wildflowers in the forest.
 

Colour Ideas

may 2026

Spring has arrived! In the mornings, I wake to birds singing just outside my bedroom window. Some days bring sunlight, others cold winds, sometimes even a little snow. The season shifts constantly, and I notice how much my work moves in the same way.

Each collection begins with a concept I explore slowly while dreaming about what colours I like to work with. My colour inspiration comes from looking closely at the plants that still have some of their colour after the winter months. Or the mountain views that change every day depending on the light. Or how colours softly fade in the distance. It’s a quiet process of choosing colours that I bring to the dye pot.
 

Painting onto the fabric takes a lot of time, and that gives me time to see the colours with my mind’s eye. I think about how certain tones might strengthen the forms or soften them. These colours remain only a reference for later.
 

When the painted fabrics finally enter the dye pots, I let go a little of my imagined colours, though. I do this intentionally, because I prefer a more organic way of working. The first piece of a work is the most important step in the process of dyeing. Once I have settled on a colour for this first piece, from there I slowly dye the rest of the pieces. I guide this process loosely, while leaving space for the unexpected.
 
For this reason I made a conscious decision not to work with fixed recipes. Instead of trying to repeat the same result each time, I allow the colours to develop more organically. I observe what happens in the dye pots and respond to it, adjusting when necessary but also leaving space for the materials to speak.
 

Because I work intuitively the work becomes most interesting for me. The dialogue between colour intention and plant material creates something that could not have been fully planned.
 

For me, the process of natural dyeing rarely moves in a straight line. Sometimes a colour does not feel right, or needs to rest before the next step becomes clear. They are part of how the work finds its form.
 
 

Botanical Illustrations

march 2026

People often ask me how I make my work and where the ideas begin.

When I worked as an illustrator, I illustrated all kinds of subjects for editorial work. Each new commission with a different theme. Since I started working with natural dyes, something shifted.

 
Living closer to nature and spending more time observing my surroundings, flowers, plants and birds slowly became my main source of inspiration. Simply because they were what I was seeing every day.
 

These botanical illustrations offer endless possibilities for me. Different compositions, different colours, different stories.

A couple of years ago I took the decision to step away from my illustration practice, and to fully commit to natural dyeing. I love working with colours from the earth because it slows everything down. The colours are unpredictable, softer and feel more alive.
 

These last few weeks a new collection of wall hangings grew from an interest in 17th century Dutch flower still life paintings. I find them fascinating to study, the longer you look, the more you see. All the details, each with it’s own symbolism.

I loved looking at this floral still-life painting by Rachel Ruysch who was the most famous female artist of her time.

I approached these old paintings from an illustrative perspective and translated them into textile designs that feel both graphic and organic.
 

The botanical illustrations that I use come from sketches that I made over time. Some of them are inspired by actual flowers, and over time stylised into simple forms. This way the shapes stay intuitive and slightly abstract. The flowers, plants and birds are not meant to be realistic. They are more like remembered shapes I have seen during my morning walks.
 

Once the illustrations are ready, the real conversation begins between painting the flowers and birds on fabric and natural dye process. I work with a soft, quiet colour palette so everything needs to stay in balance. The colours should support the botanical illustration, and the illustration should leave enough space for the colours to exist.
 

 For me, natural dyeing is a way to tell stories through colour. A way to bring illustration into the world of natural dyeing, slowly, with attention and care. That is part of what I love most about working this way. It keeps the process alive.
 

Winter in the Studio

january 2026

A little studio update as winter settles in… The days are short and cold, and the studio feels quiet. Outside the land is bare. Fields, forests and trees under pale skies. I take walks when I can and notice how the light shifts and the colours change. These small moments stay with me when I return to the studio.

The quilt I have been working on is now finished. Seeing it complete brings a quiet happiness. Painted plants and flowers, graphic shapes and embroidered details all come together. They create a calm rhythm.

This piece grew from my love of old textiles and paintings. I am drawn to 16th-century tapestries where plants, flowers and animals tell stories through nature. Their work continues to guide me as I make my own.
 

While working on this quilt, I was also inspired by small details from 17th-century Dutch still lifes. In these paintings, insects appear among flowers and plants, reminding us that life is fleeting and that humans are part of the natural world. I also love the quiet humor found in these tiny details.

The small embroidered insects move across the quilt. They help the design feel alive and sit alongside the plants and flowers, offering small discoveries over time.
 

For this quilt I chose intuitively dye extracts from nettles, chestnut and weld. I created gradually the colours, dyeing them layer over layer, to create browns, ochres, dusty pinks and muted greens.

Because my making is slow and intentional, I like to share the thoughts and moments that inform my work. It is a way to reflect on the life around me, the inspirations and the quiet rhythms of my life that shape my pieces. Writing here becomes part of the process of making, a gentle companion to the work itself.
 

Finishing this quilt is a pause in the middle of winter. It reminds me why I value slow making and how time and attention shape the work.
 

Quiet Studio Moments

december 2025

A little studio update as we move toward the holidays…I am working on a large quilt. It is a slow piece, made over time. I want to share a little about where it comes from and what I am thinking about while making it.

The starting point for this quilt was my interest in 16th-century tapestries. I spent time looking at these works and studying their details. What I love most are the botanical elements. Plants, flowers, and animals from different parts of the world are shown together in one image. The tapestries tell stories through nature. I find this very inspiring.

In this quilt, I use botanical illustrations as a base. The plants are not meant to be exact or scientific, for me they are imaginative. I think of them more as shapes, patterns, and symbols. I paint them in a way that feels balanced and calm.

Some elements repeat. Others stand alone. I like how this creates movement across the surface of the quilt design.

While working on this piece, I also started thinking about a new series of wall hangings I would like to make in the future. This series will be inspired by 17th-century Dutch flower still life paintings.

These paintings speak about time, beauty, and the passing of life. I was not planning to include this influence yet, but it became part of my thinking while I worked.

So this idea entered the quilt as well.

If you look closely in my sketchbook, you may notice sketches of small insects. These are important details.

In these 17th-century paintings of flower still life, insects were often used to remind viewers that life is temporary and that humans are part of nature. They were sometimes also used in a playful or humorous way. I like this combination.

These insects will be embroidered only at the end, once all the pieces are sewn together. They move across the quilt and connect different parts.

For me, they help tell a quiet story.

This quilt brings together many elements: botanical illustrations, graphic shapes, and small figures. I like the idea that it can feel different each time you look at it.
 

This quilt is made slowly, by hand. It carries my interest in historical textiles and paintings, but it is also very present and personal.
 

Jackdaw

december 2025

It is early December and as I sit here writing this, I look outside the window and our little hamlet is wrapped in mist. It makes everything feel a little closer, a little quieter. From somewhere in the distance, I can hear sheep bells. Tiny notes drifting through the mist like a reminder that life keeps moving slowly, even when the days grow shorter.

Even though it is winter now, the wall hanging that I am sharing was made during autumn. This wall hanging was a custom piece, and the family asked for a jackdaw and other botanical illustrative elements that were meaningful for them.

 
Hand painting these illustrations on linen made this piece personal, and the warm palette of autumn brought everything together in a gentle and natural way.
 

I am also sharing another piece that I finished around the same time that was made for my little shop. It has the same colour palette with deep red shades and has botanical illustrations of dye plants. I chose these dye plants intuitively by their shape. It is a quiet celebration of the beautiful colours they give to us.
 

Each season offers its inspiration and I try to capture a small part of it in each piece that I make.
 
 

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