Botanical pillows
march 2025
Lately, I have been working on a small collection of pillow covers. This new collection is inspired by a botanical dye garden of my dreams. A place where colour comes to life. Each illustration is a tribute to the plants that not only bring beauty to a garden but also gives colour in my dye bath.
I carefully selected some dye plants that spoke to me. Margolds, safflower, calendula and tansy that give rich golden tones in a dye bath. Alongside these dye plants, I also included flowers like poppies and thistles – not for their dyeing properties, but for their beauty and the way they shape our garden. The natural colours I dyed with reflect the gentle fading and transformation that happens in nature.
The pillows are naturally dyed with a colour palette that was chosen intuitively. Chestnut, which creates warm earthy browns, nettles for their soft, muted greens and indigo with it’s deep, calming blues. These plant-based dyes created subtle variations in tone, making each pillow unique in it’s own way.
To bring out the details of these plants, I embroidered some of the pillows, adding a layer of texture and depth. The hand-stitching follow the natural curves of flower petals, leaves or the feathers of a bird. I feel it adds an extra dimention to the botanical illustration.