Star Project: Scenes from Our First Sensory-Scapes Bundle Dyeing Workshop

Hi everyone, Renata and Selina here! 

We are a bit more than halfway through Sensory-Scapes, our series of four textile workshops with the Quilt Academy at Bell House in Dulwich, supported by the Textile Study Star Project award. Together, participants are making their own sensory pillows from reclaimed materials, bringing together mental health, creativity, sustainability and wellbeing.

We wanted to share some photos from our first session, where we explored botanical bundle dyeing. We were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, so at the last minute we moved the workshop out of the planned room and into Bell House’s beautiful garden. It was the perfect start. We were lucky to dye with flowers donated by Emmanuel, which had been part of stunning arrangements just days before. Some of their colours and prints are now on the fabrics you see in the photos.

Since then, we have designed our pillows in a very mindful session that included a mini creative writing activity, collective drawing and a pattern-making activity led by Selina. Last Thursday we moved on to visible appliqué and meditative hand embroidery. In the final session we will explore aromatherapy and finish the pillows, so that each one looks and feels right for its maker.

Thank you to all the lovely participants, to Emmanuel, our very talented and generous florist, and especially to Janis from the Quilt Academy for all the help with project management so far and of course to the Textile Study Group for selecting our project and allowing all this magic to happen. We will be sad to end it but are equally excited to see the results! We will be sending you another set of photos soon

Renata Minoldo and Selina Latour. 

Photographer Kerrie Mccauley.

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