Things that are tactile, soft to the touch, amazingly textured and/or beautifully colored. These kind of things make me ooh and ahh over them. They're my happy place. Lots of stitches, a fine weave.. Honestly, guys, I swoon over fabric just as much as paper.
I love being able to dye fabric - either by mixing dyes or using natural materials - because the process is it's own kind of magic.
One of my goals with hello, bird. is to make beautiful details - for special events and for the every day. I love being a part of celebrating people's life moments, and love when those pieces are able to live after the moment- to stretch into your every day. Being able to combine that idea with doing things that I love-- that's another special kind of magic. So, with all that out there- it's an understatement that I was pretty thrilled when Maggie had a really fun idea for favors for her bridal shower.
Maggie is one of the most amazing people I know. She's incredibly creative, kind-hearted + has a great sense of humor. She also has really great style. When I think of Maggie, I think of warmth- and neutrals, and fringe.. (Ok, I could keep going, but.. let's not get too crazy with this compliment-fest.. haha!)
Anyway, Maggie loves textiles + neutrals as much as I do. She was thinking of some kind of tea towel with hand-painted names. How to make something like that be more Maggie's style? Neutral colored dyes. Something soft and muted, minimal and uneven dye patterns, and a really cool weave. Brush calligraphy in white for soft edges and a small contrast.
I loved dying these towels in a few small batches. The weave structure is slightly open, and the cotton is incredibly delicate- giving the tea towels an almost sheer quality. Another fun fact? These are HUGE- slightly over 24" square. They're a statement piece- but a really quiet statement piece. (We did skip a fringe trim..)
hand-dyed fabric from hello, bird. // hand-made flower pot by heypace ceramics // photo courtesy of Maggie Farrell
(And did I mention Maggie's great style?) I'm obsessed with how Maggie set up place settings for her shower with those gorgeous plates + that swoon-worthy mother-of-pearl flatware. I'm pretty sure she made the fringe chargers herself. Each guest received their own hand-dyed tea-towel and handmade ceramic planter with a succulent. Yes, please. Thanks again for letting me be a tiny part of your day, Maggie!