March 2020: France is entering a strict lockdown. My passion for knitting intensified and I found myself dreading a lack of yarn to knit. If you know me a little, you would have guessed that such a thing would never happen. Nevertheless, my kitchen became an experiment field and I started dyeing some wool for myself.
The joy that ensued convinced me that this hobby could become something more, even a part-time job. Craftwomanship has always been a fantasy of mine and yarn dyeing brings a kinesthetic, creative and concrete balance to my usual UX research practice.
The universe of fiber arts and crafts is deeply feminist and intersectional. Creating one’s clothing and getting mutual aid from an international community of women, non-binary and queer people is truly uplifting and empowering. Madame Guillotine is an attempt at hands-on contribution to all this.
I decided to dye a specific wool from the UK’s Bluefaced Leicester breed. Its extreme quality and reliability seduced me. It is also a wool that is produced and transformed locally in the UK, supervised by a specific board. My supplier ensures that the material itself is treated at the highest environmental standards in place.