HELLO! Tamaryn Design celebrates my love of color, textiles and artisans’ culture. My one-of-a-kind clothing, accessories, décor items incorporate natural printing and dyes, reclaimed materials and “finds” from my travels. All tell a current and unique story.

As a young girl, as I watched my grandmother Ciel, a tailor in Wheeling, West Virginia- I learned about recycling. At the end of every season, she would collect men’s sample suiting swatches- these “useless” fabric rectangles- and hand-sew them into quilts. She taught me how to sew and importantly- the value of reclaiming what others discard. I was fascinated, and in fifth grade, my parents bought me a new Sears sewing machine, which I still use today.

Years passed along with various adventures, finally graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in graphic design. My graphic design firm moved quickly from hand work to digital/UX, and after 20 years, my need to return to touch what I made- grew. So did my interest in global travels, artisans, and a growing collection of textiles.

I was born with a curiosity and sense of adventure about the world, which led me to many global explorations. A six-month journey to Vietnam with my Vietnamese-born daughter Tamaryn became a seven-year residency. I met local artisans, learned about traditional materials and processes in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and beyond. In Hanoi, I designed handbags, upcycled silk scarves, women’s tops and jackets, created products for NGOs, often working with post-production waste.

Inspired by artisans and natural dyeing, slow-making and new and traditional techniques, my passions have become: returning purpose and usefulness to abandoned materials, and a commitment to respect traditions, sustainability and our environment. These are my acts of self and communal love.

PROCESS: NATURAL DYEING AND ECO PRINTING I eco-print with leaves and flowers, and sometimes rusty object, respectfully foraged locally and from my travels. I place these items on natural textiles (eg silk, wool, cotton) that have been specially prepared to insure bonding of the leaves and flowers to the fabric. All are then rolled and tightly bound on a dowel and steamed from 30 minutes to 4 hours-”depending”.

Indigo is a bit different, as it is prepared in a vat, this process is an immersion dye process. I pattern the textiles using a resist process called shibori- much like tie-dye, but using items such as blocks, string, clamps and more.

These two processes can be combined and layered for complex and unusual results.

It is truly an amazing process- impacted by every detail: water, temperature, season, fabric- full of never-ending excitement- and always a few surprises!

Each item is hand-made by me and one-of-a-kind!

FINDS Over the years of my many and varied travels, I have found amazing items that I could not resist acquiring. ALAS! Though I love each and every one of them, it is time to part with some and send them out into the world- for your enjoyment. Stories galore; they are unique, vintage, artisans unknown- but lovely all.