slowCOLOR's Profile

Bio

.....what the heck does slowCOLOR mean?
Carl Honoré, author of "In Praise of Slowness" provides the best answer: “…'slow' is shorthand for better, balanced, more sustainable…about using resources in a way that respects the environment -- smaller-scale, local touch, artisan-made -- the opposite of mass production. It's finding the right speed, doing something as well as possible, not as fast as possible.” SlowCOLOR’s traditional, plant dyed products meet this description, thus the name.

.....who is slowCOLOR?
SlowCOLOR is a collaboration between me – I’m Carol - and my sisters Becky and Peggy. We’ve joined up to create a business offering beautiful, traditionally dyed materials for creatives working in fiber.

.....and would you tell us a bit about yourselves?
We are of ½ Kentucky hillbilly and ½ German/Danish descent but having spent our formative years in Wisconsin, we aren’t really apt to go rambling on about ourselves personally. Just doesn’t seem prudent. But since people say they like that sort of thing, here goes. You can skip this if you’re as busy as we are. We all love dogs. And cats. We’ve all been married. And divorced. We are all good looking, but some more than others. I live in Northern California, and the sissies live in Wisconsin. I am the Product Designer (cloistered from direct outside contact due to, lets say, social awkwardness), Becky (oldest and most reliable) is our Business Manager, and Peggy (most delightful of all, who we refer to as Glenda the Good Witch – that’s actually what shows up on my caller ID) is our people person. We find ourselves quite interesting and wonderful, but then again, we are sisters, and close. We don’t really care if you disagree.

.....Carol, you are obviously the most interesting and talented of the slowCOLOR sisters, can you tell us more about yourself?
I’m the natural dyeing fanatic. I had car trouble near a weaving shop in Sacramento about 18 years ago, was killing time waiting for the tow truck by perusing their books section, and on a self-soothing whim bought a book about natural dyeing. I began dyeing everything in sight, learned how to spin so that I could get even MORE color combinations, quit my job because it was interfering with the dyeing, and ended up needing an intervention. Now I have learned to take it all one day at a time and when a credit card company refuses to accept handspun, hot pink yarn in payment, I am able to hand it up to my higher power and write a check. I will entice you with easy stuff like cochineal dyes but you’ll probably progress straight to the hard stuff – that’s right, indigo – and we can form local support groups.

.....so what about Becky and Peggy? Anything special about them?
No.

.....what natural, plant dyed products do you offer?
Initially we are offering wool fibers for felting and hand-reeled silk embroidery threads. We will soon add more dyed fibers, fabrics and yarns along with our killer natural dye kits so you can do this yourself at home because frankly, it would save us a lot of work if you dyed this stuff yourself. If you choose to receive updates about new products email us at info [!at] slowcolor.com and you’ll hear about everything almost in real time. Otherwise, when you cry later about something being out of stock we will not pity you.

.....are your photos exactly representative of your products?
We do our best to depict products and colors as accurately as possible. But, due to variations between monitors, colors may appear slightly different in person than on the web site.

.....what’s so special about naturally dyed stuff?
As Peggy says, these are really, really pretty. Yes, we believe the natural dyes of antiquity result in exquisite colors of every hue. Not boring, and not just bland colors that look like pond sludge.

.....how will using naturally dyed fibers improve my art and thus change my whole life?
Ugly is impossible. Naturally dyed colors are inherently harmonious due to their complex chemistry and various other unknowns we just don’t understand, but Becky has a chemistry degree, we’ll put her on that question and get back to you. Over the years, I have never seen natural colors combined in any manner that was not visually appealing. I’m not kidding, and I am discerning. I’ve tried, believe me, but you simply can not come up with a garish color combination with naturally dyed materials. This is why traditionally dyed fibers from around the world such as the famous Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Navaho and African textiles have a special “sing” to them. And if gradual fading occurs over time (like when your great-, great-, great-granddaughter inherits your artwork), the color stays true to hue, which is why we love all love blue jeans so much. Indigo – it’s absolutely divine. Compounds straight from natural plants, icky bugs, fungus, and mined minerals are of a mysterious chemistry more rich and complex than the simplified, synthesized chemicals used in synthetic dyes. Sure it’s our opinion, but it's based on physics and real science baby.

.....if I use naturally dyed materials, will my self-esteem improve?
Absolutely, because they are renewable, clean & green so it’s like saving your grandchildren. In a nutshell, 150 years ago, when modern chemistry began synthesizing the colors of natural materials and mass producing them, the world was a different place, and the environment was less fragile. Energy was cheap and no one cared about the polluting by-products of industry. Synthetic dyes became widely and cheaply available so that anyone could have purple or red – colors historically only available to royalty. Who wouldn’t go nuts for it? But times have changed. We need to be aware of the huge environmental toll and energy used to manufacture the products we consume. Using natural dyes is like cooking a bit of dinner.

.....I’ve heard natural dyeing is complicated, is that true?
Probably, if you only have the intelligence of a sophisticated monkey. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable do-it-yourself activity, and educational for the kids. Call me a nitwit, but the first time I pulled a brightly colored blob of fleece out of a pot transformed by some ground up twigs I bought, I was totally hooked. I felt some sort of odd command of the universe and I liked that feeling. And it was really beautiful and there’s great value in that, along with that supreme power feeling and all. But since it was a real hassle for me to figure out how to do it, so we are going to make sure you all have an easier time by using our kits you won’t have to suffer too.

.....but aren’t these natural dyes inferior to modern dyes?
The general understanding of naturally dyed fibers is full of misconceptions which prevent more widespread enjoyment of these materials. Vicious gossip such as - not color fast, not wash fast, colors bleed all over, colors rub off onto your hands. Well, yuck if it were true. But it isn’t, not when done correctly. And most malicious of all? Natural colors are dull, limited and bland. No, no, no!

.....who makes your products and how is it done?
Everything is dyed by slowCOLOR or one of our artisanal natural dyers. All colors are obtained using traditional dyes such as indigo, cochineal, logwood and madder which produce the best and most long lasting colors. If we do offer a color considered more fugitive, we specifically state this. Otherwise, by following our care guidelines, you should be okay but we will never guarantee that you will have the exact experience you expect – because we don’t know you and you might just whip everything in the washing machine with killer detergent and dirty socks.

.....how should these products be cared for?
Avoiding unnecessary direct sunlight and harsh detergents will prolong the life of natural colors. We don’t mean become a stinky mole person, but these materials are expensive and if you expect hard wear in hard circumstances, you may be disappointed. And we don’t want that. Wash gently in mild soap using common sense dictated by the type of fiber, and life will go on without us avoiding your phone calls.

Female, Born on March 9

Favorite Materials

wool, silk, hemp, cotton