BA Textile Design work by Sarah Lee showing the use of natural dyes including bundle dyeing, screen printing, patchwork, and embroidery.

My degree at NUA has given me the opportunity to expand my creative practice by learning new skills, developing competencies in weaving and printing as well as my enthusiasm for patchwork.

All dyes made from natural ingredients such as red cabbage, purple dahlias and their leaves, heather flowers, logwood chips, red berries tea leaves, paprika, turmeric, and red onion skins.

To develop my printing skills, I worked with natural dyes over the last year, combining bundle dyeing and screen printing. Inspiration for the patterns came from geometric designs that are found in nature. The softness of the bundle dye and the sharpness of the geometric designs combine beautifully, also being sustainable.

Hand embroidery using hand dyed embroidery silks, Tapestry using brought wools and prints of geometric patterns were used to create the geometric patterns of the diamond and circle shapes.

Through live briefs with real creative businesses, I have learned that clear communication and professionalism is at the heart of any good working relationship. I thrive in a busy environment and can work on multiple projects at once, ensuring deadlines are met. I also had the opportunity to organise some sewing workshops, working with vulnerable people in the community.

Screen prints of a hand drawn geometric pattern printed on bundled dyed silk and embellished with silver leaf. 3 screens were used to create the layered pattern.
Bundle dyed cotton lawn, medium weight cotton, silk de crepe and bamboo silk fabric used with a geometric print. Lac extract, madder root, logwood, daffodils, and red cabbage were used in the bundle dyeing. Gold leaf was used for embellishment.