Botanical prints on natural fabric record the fulfillment of ancient prophesy, evoke a sense of place, and enhance spiritual practice while bringing beautiful fabrics to the handmade market. Meet fiber artist Suzanne Dekel and hear about her beautiful botanical prints from Israel.
I recently spent some time in Jerusalem. While there I met up with Suzanne Dekel at her pop-up shop, at First Station, near the Windmill park in central Jerusalem. I first encountered Suzanne on Instagram where I am following the journey of her eco-print art practice.
Botanical Prints
While in Jerusalem I seized the opportunity to speak to her in person about her work dyeing with natural dyes: the leaves, bark, flowers, and herbs of Israel, and her spiritual practice. Suzanne is a delightful person to talk to and we shared an hour talking about plants, her personal journey, and how she expresses her faith through her work with leaves, herbs, flowers, and fruit. I love Suzanne’s art and I think you’ll connect with it, too.
Suzanne came to Israel from Holland. Married, with two children, she quit a job in the corporate, high tech world to stay home with her children and forge her own success as an entrepreneur and an artist.
Suzanne’s art is focused on eco print dyeing using plants and natural dyes on natural fabrics like silk and wool. She creates fabrics and scarves, as well as cloth coverings for Jewish ritual observance. Her work is ecologically minded, with a focus on utilizing the natural resources of her home and garden in Shoham, Israel, careful of water and energy useage, with little waste.
Silk scarves, tichels, and cloth coverings made of 100% natural silk fabric make fabulous gifts. When they are imprinted with natural leaves, flowers, seeds, roots, and bark they bring the beauty of place in a meaningful way to the cloth. Every piece is one of a kind, full of intention, story, and beauty.
Suzanne captures in each piece the story of a walk in the woods as well as the profound story of Israel as a land of promise and blooming potential. This is one of the things I loved about speaking to Suzanne. She taught me so much in our short conversation about the transcendent significance of place, plants, ancient mysteries, and fulfilled promises. This transcendence is embodied in her botanical prints on silk and wool.
Suzanne uses the plants from Israel that she picks up walking in the woods by her home near Jerusalem. Pecans, butternuts, gingko, and eucalyptus grow prolifically and Suzanne gathers these plants plus herbs and flowers and lays them out on natural wool or silk fabrics. The botanical prints that Suzanne makes evoke not just the colors of the plants but the colors of the land of Israel.
There is a holiness in Suzanne’s work because every leaf, petal, or branch is a fulfillment of ancient prophesy. A land that was desolate is now blossoming. Where there was once parched land and ruins, there is now verdant fruitfulness, dancing, and celebration. This fulfillment of ancient prophesy is full of hope and expectancy and that hope is felt in every fiber of Suzanne’s botanical prints on silk and wool.
You can hear the reverence in her voice as she speaks of the spiritual practice of her art and slow fashion. Listen to my interview with Suzanne from October, when we met at First Station in Jerusalem, during Sukkot, to talk about Israel, her work in botanical prints and natural dyes, and Israeli women artisans in business.
Learn how to ecoprint on silk here.
Win one of Suzanne Dekel’s works of art
Suzanne has generously offered one of her beautiful scarves as a GIVEAWAY to Joybilee Farm readers. This 100% natural silk scarf is 39 inches by 72 inches (90 x 200 cm) and is dyed with golden rain leaves and logwood. Vibrant golds and tender purples and blues imprint this soft flowing habotai silk scarf. IT COULD BE YOURS.
Giveaway Rules:
The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond to the email. So when you enter please use your best email. If the winner doesn’t resond to the email within 48 hours, they will be disqualified and another winner will be chosen. The prize must be accepted as offered. No substitutions. The winner will receive the scarf from Israel by standard postal service. Any applicable duties or taxes will be the responsiblity of the winner.
Photo by Suzanne Dekel, used with permission.
If the winner is from Canada a skill testing question will be required before the prize is awarded, to comply with Canadian laws.
The giveaway for this beautiful ecoprint scarf will end on the last day of Hanukkah, at midnight EST, December 21st.
Eucalyptus, Gravillia, Wattle, and pine, what a mix I have, I have never tried this I will have to give it a go, so beautiful.
This year we had an overabundance of Queen Anne’s Lace.
I had wonderful prints from queen annes lace using silk mordant with alum and then the lace flowers dipped in a light solution of iron water bundled tight and steamed turned out beautiful. Try them they don’t disappoint
That sounds beautiful.
How do you use the Queen Anne’s lace? As a dye or as a pattern on the silk. I would love to know how to use it as a printed design…an ecoprint.
Cattails can be found so frequently because of all of the water near me.
This is something I would love to learn how to do
Such beautiful artwork with expressions of peace and joy. I am surrounded by evergreens; love their fragrance and stability!
This is amazing work. I loved reading about what you learned talking with this artist. The work is gorgeous
Evergreen trees. Having just moved the only one I can identify is Ponderosa pine, but I can see about a dozen different species outside my back door! I’m looking foreword to learning all their names.
Wow. Those scarves are beautiful.
The scarves are just beautiful.. . Here in the pacific northwest fir,cedar,huckleberries are a big part of the landscape.
The abundant plants where I live are catnip, mints, dandelion (which I love!), clover, and plantain. There are trees near my home that always make me feel like home, which include maple, pine, and hemlock trees. I love the (inedible) cherry tree in our backyard, too. Catnip was the first herb I wildcrafted with the guidance of my aunt when I was 10 or 12 years old.
Honeysuckle…
Crape Myrtle and willow oaks say North Carolina to me!
The scarves are beautiful and how they are made is truly wonderful! I live in Eastern Ontario where I am surrounded my maple trees. A friend taps the neighbourhood trees each spring and gives us all some of the syrup! There are also lots of different evergreens, birch, ash and other trees. Nettles thrive and I have recently discovered how incredible they are for healing UTIs.
Oak trees! Appropriate, since I live in a city called Thousand Oaks.
My heart has in recent years been drawn to Israel and even more recently to natural dies. What a blessing for a chance to win! Golden rod and black walnut are a couple of the many beautiful plants in my area.
Such beauty & peace in your lovely scarfs. This scarf would be a lovely addition to my Sabbath wardrobe.
Here in the valleys of Boston, MA, springtime fills my land in abundance with lilacs and lily of the valley. Two of my favorite plants that I look forward to each year. Although I work in “corporate “ America my heart is here in homesteading my land and learning beautiful art like yours.
The peony’s that grow in the back have given me a sense of place since they don’t grow in any of the locations I’ve lived in before.
You had me at…..Israel, the Holy Land and you had me at….scarves.
When I first visited 9 years ago, I was captivated with the beauty of wearing scarves daily. So whether I’m in San Diego, on a ship or in my hometown, you’ll find me wearing one.
Suzanne’s creations are lovely. Thanks for this post!
I would love to win once of these beautiful scarves. What a beautiful way to remember the land of our Savior. At my home I love my lavender. I can lie down amongst the plants and just breath in the lovely order of the lavender. Shalom
I love working with my homegrown herbs and dye plants. It is a very satisfying experience to hold something that I have grown and be able to show an end result.
These are so beautiful. And even more so knowing that it is all natural. The colors and designs are so unique and pretty. I have done some dyeing but this makes me want to do more.
We were talking about trying this method of dying at our last fiber arts guild meeting and then I come across your post! Very interesting. Would love to win the scarf – it is very lovely.
I love the natural look about these scarfs. By using nature to dye them and nature as the pattern she has incorporated both into an amazing scarf.
I think the plants in my area that most say “this is home” are wild blueberries, sassafras, wintergreen, and mountain laurel. These are the first plants I learned as a child and have been with me my entire life. P.S. The scarves are amazing and while I have done little with plants as far as dying, I’m so inspired!
We recently relocated halfway across the country, so I need to learn the plants of our new area. There are lots of pines. I love evergreens, and they remind me of where we came from.
Majestic firs, cottonwood, ferns and mossy undergrowth, cottonwoods.
Where I grew up there were always planes (Platanus), so those will always remind me of my childhood.
Sumac, maple and oak trees are everywhere here in Montana USA. I have all of these trees growing in my backyard. I feel Very lucky.
The scarves look amazing.
Elderberry in the summer, sumac in the fall, and oxalis in the spring.
I have recently moved to this beautiful land of Israel myself and have been following Suzanne on her FB page for quite a while . I hope to meet her one day in person. Thank you for shedding more light on her work process and introducing her lovely personality in your video. Winning one of her precious scarfs would just be the best holiday gift! thank you for the opportunity! Have a Happy holiday! <3
Incredibly beautiful, and I love that everything she does has meaning. Listening to her interview has my mind churning with possibilities. Living in the mountain desert of Nevada we have very different plants. With winter upon us I am drawn to the woody plants with the fragrance of sage, pine and juniper. Bless you both.
Lovely! Cammelias and azaleas are in abundance here.
My backyard has a black walnut, maples, curly willow and beech trees plus gardens throughout so I have a lot of material to use to try making botanical scarves.
I am astounded at the diversity of your posts, Chris. I have always wanted to try ecoprinting and appreciate such a simple and clear explanation. I will wait until Spring though, because I love the thought of imbuing the therapeutic essence of the plants from my own space then wearing them.
Here in Canada I am surrounded by golden rod, which I have always viewed with some distain. That is until I learned on one of your posts that it is not an allergen and has many medicinal uses. And now to learn that it is a dye plant too. Perfect
I loved this article. A true sense of peace within it. Wild crafting plants from around her is inspiring to use plants around me for yet another avenue for healing, peace, and comfort.
I love when the goldenrod comes out. It’s every where and it’s breath taking. So many complain because of allergies, but it brings me a sense of joyful calmness.
Thank you for the post. I am looking forward to learning how to use these wonderful plants in yet another way.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I love listening to and seeing Suzanne and her beautiful handiwork.
What a beautiful article! I loved learning about Suzanne’s lovely work, and am now following her on Instagram. How inspiring she is! Here are the plants in my area that give me a sense of place (and what a great question, too!): Juniper, Pinon Pine, Sage Brush, Chaparral, Brigham Tea (Mormon Tea), Cliffrose…and so many more. I wish I knew how to turn these plants into transfers on cloth. What a great skill! Thank you for sharing this, Chris!
The scarves look luxurious and comforting!
How beautiful. I could never choose just 1 plant. Whenever I see His creation I marvel and feel closer to Him. What a blessing to be able to visit and see both Israel and such gorgeous crafting. Blessings to you both.
This is beautiful! I live in N. Idaho and love the abundance of native plants when I’m out in the woods. From the tamarack, pine and fir trees to the tiny little pipsissewa flowers and wild strawberries, I love them all ~ especially if they are medicinal or edible. =)
Thank you for the generous giveaway!
Thank you for sharing Suzannne’s story, Chris. I loved watching the video and am so glad she has found herself in dying the scarves naturally and being at home with her family. And thank you for the giveaway.
So beautiful on many levels. This is a very moving interview and the fabrics are lovely. She projects such joy through her craft. Thank you for the interview, and for the chance to win this lovely scarf. Blessings.