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.
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!