I remember times, 6-7 years ago, when I started my own natural dye experiments. One of my muses I found on world wide web was Sasha Duerr. I stumbled upon YouTube videos about event "Dinner to Dye For" and I thought - there can't be any other more magical experience in the world like that. Concept of "Dinner to Dye For" is where food, great meals and their leftovers meets the textiles and becomes color. And this all is worked out in deep collaboration with gardeners, chefs and natural dyers. It is dinner that is set up by this concept, what you eat, vegetables and plants of the meal are actually also natural dye potential for textiles which is used to set up beautiful table for "Dinner to Dye For".
Later on my journey to natural dyes I also bought Sasha Duerr book "Natural Color. Vibrant plant dye projects for your home and wardrobe" which was huge inspiration for me and base of my research, of plants that grow in my garden in Latvia and near environment. Sasha is also author for other book "Natural Palettes. Inspiration from Plant-Based color" which I didn't had but after the workshop in Italy I now also own this book, gifted and signed by Sasha herself.
When I found out that Sasha will be teaching week a long workshop Exploring the Seasonal Color + Taste palettes of Sicily in Europe, Italy I felt my heart skipped the beat and I immediately knew I will be there. Nothing else was important, neither if my husband will be able to watch for kids (we have 3 boys), neither where I will get the money. When Your heart already said strong "Yes!", resources will definitely come. And they came.
On October 1st, 2023 I sat on the plane, first time took my solo travel, without my family. Destination Palermo, city by the seaside on the Sicily Island. Next day I traveled to the middle of Sicily, to train station Roccapalumba where shuttle bus drive us to the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking school where workshop was taking place.
Anna Tasca Lanza is this magical place in the heart of Sicily, surrounded by 500 hectares of vineyards overlooking vast fields of wheat and olive groves. They have their own vegetable gardens and fruit orchards cultivated by organic principles. Usually they offer workshops with different kind of chefs from all over the world, signature stays with cooking lessons, lunch lessons, itc.
Exploring the Seasonal Color workshop took place on October, but despite late autumn we enjoyed fabulous hot summertime weather, about 24-28 C and it was amazing switch from cooler autumns compared what we have in Latvia. We where group of 9 women, to my surprise, mostly from the USA, me from Latvia and one women from Israel. Meeting these people was truly amazing and homecoming, we met first time but that's what is happening when like minded people share one passion, which is natural dyes and color that come directly from nature.
Let the pictures speak for this experience and enrichment of all life!
To the way to the garden to meet and collect plants
Sasha guiding us on a journey. She is all dressed in naturally dyed clothes. Can you sense the harmony?
Connecting with plants, while braking them into smaller pieces. Feeling the texture, smelling their essence
Fennel which brought us magnificent yellow
Sage, walnut husks, fennel
We made some unique wool felted piece for our "Dinner to Dye For" table decorative central piece
We also experienced some great cooking classes
3 times a day we gathered around the table to take most tasteful meals prepared by chefs
One week of textile dyeing, immersing ourselves into the color and nature concluded with heart warming "Diner to dye for".
And this was not it, we also visited other craft initiatives outside Anna Tasca Lanza: wool collective, small cheese factory, winery.
This heart warm journey through color, taste and other senses was definitely most magical moment of 2023 year. So with a late look back on this event I finally publish this blog post about love for all natural living matter in our beautiful Earth.
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