Totes Essential Handbag for Charity.
Dyed with locally foraged dyer’s woad and embroidered with stars.
“Starlight” Totes Essential Handbag
The Totes Essential charity fundraiser was all about art, fashion and fun with proceeds going to the Park City Community Foundation Covid Relief Fund. Dreamed up by my gallerist Maren Mullin of Gallery MAR, the fundraiser pairs gorgeous, artist-designed clutches with see-through handbags to create a one of a kind accessory. There were 16 different ones available and all were simply amazing, reflecting the artist and their current curiosities. The auction raised $5000 for the relief fund.
My bag was entitled "Starlight' and is hand-dyed with locally foraged dyer's woad. This traditional way of blue dyeing was brought to Utah by immigrant pioneers. While the plant has thrived in the arid mountain west, it has actually become invasive and problematic. The bright yellow flowers are actually quite charming and picking as much woad as you want is actually encouraged in hopes of getting rid of the plant. This is not a tutorial for dyeing with dyer’s woad - to learn more about that head to All About Woad.
After dyeing, the bag was hand embroidered with an array of stars with Japanese cotton thread using sashiko stitching. If you know your stars, you might even be able to find the big and little dipper on one side.
Close-up of dyer's woad flower
Dyer's woad out along a trail in Park City
Dyer's woad leaves collected
Leaves washed and ready to make a dye bath
After soaking leaves, the liquid is drained and aerated
Dye bath ready for dyeing
A collection of items dyed with woad
Shibori dyed cloth drying
A piece of shibori dyed cloth
The big and little dipper
In process with sashiko stiching
The clutch inside the see-through handbag
Second side features stitching as well