We keep a notebook of feedback from workshop benches and commission handovers. Nothing here is a rating out of five, because a knot either holds or it does not. These are the comments that come back most often, written down the way they were said.
"I came in not knowing a square knot from a half hitch. By four o'clock I had a plant hanger that survived the trip home on the train. The dye-bath part was the bit I did not expect to enjoy, and now I notice onion skins in my own kitchen."
"We ordered twelve madder-dyed covers for the dining room. Two years of commercial laundry later they have gone softer and slightly deeper, which is exactly what we were told would happen. The colour has not gone patchy."
"The three-metre indigo panel arrived with the dye notes written on a card. That mattered to us, because we reorder textiles every season and now we can ask for the same blue rather than guessing from a photograph."
Commissions for restaurants, guesthouses and home stylists are quoted per square metre. Offcuts from every run become small plant holders sold at the studio door, so a large panel and a small holder often share the same dye bath.
Dye batches shift, cord behaves differently in humid weather, and a commission either holds up in daily use or it does not. These notes come from people who have lived with the pieces for a season or more.
The three-metre indigo panel went up in our breakfast room in March. Six months of Cape winter damp later, the blue has settled rather than faded, and guests keep asking whether it was dyed on site. It was.
Guesthouse owner, Woodstock
Indigo wall hanging, three dips over two weeks
Twelve madder cushion covers, twice through a commercial laundry every week since we opened the new room. The seams have held, the colour has gone deeper, and the set still reads as one family of tones.
Floor manager, Sea Point restaurant
Madder root linen, French-folded seams
I booked a Saturday bench expecting a craft afternoon and left with a finished plant hanger and a notebook of dye ratios. Eight people around one table meant everyone actually got their knots checked.
Workshop participant, Observatory
Saturday session, materials included
The onion skin batch came out warmer than the mustard I had sketched, and they told me that upfront instead of pretending otherwise. We shot the amber set against lime-washed walls and it carried the whole feature.
Interiors stylist, Cape Town
Editorial dye run, offcut plant holders
We ordered a woven basket for the reception desk and asked for a repair note in case the rim loosened. Two years on, nothing has moved, but knowing the cord and the knot pattern were written down mattered to us.
Guesthouse manager, Gardens
Hemp cord basket, documented knot pattern
I asked for a colour match to a tile I brought in. They dyed three test lengths before committing to the full panel, which saved us both a redo. Slow, but nothing was guessed.
Home stylist, Rondebosch
Custom dye match, sample lengths first
Most of our commissions come through repeat referrals from people who have already lived with a piece for a season or two. Below are the partners we can name, along with what each collaboration actually involved.
Hospitality
A three-metre indigo panel for a whitewashed wall. We supplied dye notes with the piece so their team could match future textile swaps.
Restaurant
Twelve madder-dyed linen covers, French-folded seams and hand-stitched closures, built for a commercial laundry cycle twice a week.
Interiors
Seasonal shoots and client installs. We work from wet samples on the table, not colour cards, so the final tone is agreed before dyeing starts.
Workshops
Saturday benches for eight people. Knotting basics, dye-bath prep and finishing, with cord and dye materials included and pieces taken home the same day.
Material sourcing
Undyed cord bought in small runs so we can trace a batch back to its supplier if a commission needs to be repeated later.
Dye garden
Kitchen and garden waste for the warm tones, madder root for the reds, indigo vats for the blues. Every batch is logged with its date and dip count.
We do not publish client counts, awards or press logos we cannot point to. If you want to see how a specific piece was made, ask at the studio door or write to info@botanicalfibreart.com and we will walk you through the dye notes.