Story

Earth laughs in flowers
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

There’s something magical about using plants to dye fabric and making herbal medicine. It connects you to old, slow ways of the past, where taking care of others is as important as taking care of Mother Earth. I pick neutral to wild, vibrant colors from the landscape to dye, sometimes capturing imprints from the leaves and petals by marking on the fabric, using old tried and true practices, evoking a range of emotions.

My work is inspired by fairytales, my Celtic heritage, mythic Celtic family, the Mother archetype, and cycles. Each botanical print expressed in handmade home decor to apparel designed in feminine silhouettes is a homage to the Divine Feminine and the time in which we live as we transitions towards authenticity and softness, as well as holding one’s ground.

My textiles, apparel and herbal skincare are created carefully, slowly, with intention, and they tell a story. My hope is to create beautiful, unique, well-made things to bring you delight, support, and empowerment as you evolve into your true essence. I set up my business as a reflection of what I want to see more of in the world.

My name is Molly Dunn, and I’ve been practicing natural dyes since late 2018. It was through this work that I found deep healing and a passion for creating beautiful things using my intuition and my hands, which is a way to connect with my inner child and wisdom. It was during this time I was going through some deeply personal times that were some of the darkest nights. Still, as I look back, I honor this period of fragility and know it as a time of incubation and positive opportunities to delve deep in to memory since this was a time of transition and to restore myself, revealing an uplifting and inspiring new outlook.

Most of my dyeing history has been through trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that I’ve made. As with anything new you’re learning, there is no instant way of learning a craft — just a trial and error process.

I’ve taken classes from experts in the field online or in person, watched countless videos, and read many books to problem solve. I’ll have to admit, it was by doing; using my hands, arranging petal and leaves on the cloth, taking in the scents in my kitchen from pots brewing bugs, flowers, bark, or leaves is what ignited a special spark, the knowing deep inside that I’ve done this before, memory perhaps stored in my DNA, and to just be patient. Remembering brings me back to my child self when I recall running barefoot, picking wild raspberries and grapes, and making mud pots and berry potions with my stained hands.

Parallel to natural dyeing, there is my other love; I will teach others how to remember their past through the ritual of writing so they can heal, become whole, and live a purposeful, high-vibrational life. I consider my writing to be as beneficial as my dye endeavors and hope to marry the two as a part of my ongoing creative process.