In Memory of a Master Natural Dyer: Thoughts on Michele Wipplinger

Renowned hand-dyer Michele Wipplinger passed away on February 15, 2020. I first met Michele in 1985. I’d just landed in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area on a journey to further my studies in textiles. Soon after arriving, I made my way to the Conference of Northern California Handweavers. In the vendor area, I stumbled on a small table filled with gorgeous hand-dyed yarn samples. Next to the yarns were copies of a small limited-production periodical, Color Trends. Michele produced this journal twice a year, focusing on the year’s color trends. Each issue examined 2 fibers and 2 dyestuffs and included actual dyed samples of yarn, and sometimes cloth, along with the dye formulas for each sample. The graphics were exquisite. I literally taught myself to dye from Color Trends.

Cover of Color Trends Winter 1987–1988, Volume 4, Number 1. Courtesy of Jane Woodhouse

I asked a few of her many friends to reflect on her life and work.

Celia Quinn
“Michele was a consummate dyer, weaver, and photographer who possessed many skills,” shares Celia Quinn. “She was very concerned about the safety of dyes and went so far as to develop a complete color range of natural dyes using only alum mordant, leaving all the toxic mordants behind. In 1989, I was part of a 20-person trip to India with Michele and Karen Selk. We benefited from the years of research they had done in India and traveled far and wide to see amazing textiles and meet the people who made them.

“Michele once asked me to experiment with spinning silk caps, which she had dyed in many different patterns, to see how dye placement affected the color placement in the yarn. That had long-lasting consequences for how I teach people about dyeing and spinning silk caps and hankies. It was a privilege to know her, and she was one of a kind.”

Deb Menz
“Michele Wipplinger was both a mentor and friend to me,” says Deb Menz. “I met her in the spring of 1988. I was part owner of a yarn and weaving shop and had invited Michele there to teach. At the end of her 5-day stay with me, I had my share of the store for sale. Michele had gotten me my first teaching job, and I had agreed to write for her publication, Color Trends. In addition, she wanted me to teach all about Lanaset dyes because she was going to exclusively teach about natural dyeing. The rest is history.

“Michele was innovative and had boundless energy when it came to dyeing. She not only was a teacher, publisher, and store owner, she was instrumental in getting natural dyeing into the mainstream. Michele will be missed by the many folks that she influenced and taught. I am grateful that my path crossed with hers.”

Michele Wipplinger dyeing with indigo in 2010.

Karen Selk
“Every now and then, someone comes along who makes a big impact on the way we think about our earth,” writes former travel partner Karen Selk. “Michele Wipplinger was one of those people. She had a passion for color and textiles, which propelled her life’s journey. She was an author, educator, master dyer, traveller, photographer, designer, consultant, and business owner of Earthues, a natural dye company.

“Michele’s passion for tinting the world with natural color has touched so many lives throughout the world with her enthusiasm and heartfelt connection to the people she taught and learned from. Her husband Andro continues her legacy through Earthues, a business that works in partnership with artisans to fulfill their dreams. Michele Wipplinger has left us with an example of an active, purposeful life, full of curiosity, creativity, warmth, and joy. We could best honor her life by following her lead.”

Over the past 25 years, I have worked almost exclusively with the natural-dye extracts sold by Michele under her Earthues label. She mentored me, and most importantly, taught me to follow my curiosity, as I applied color to fiber, yarn, and cloth.

Jane Woodhouse would like to thank Celia Quinn, Deb Menz, and Karen Selk for their words and Andro Wipplinger for sharing photos of Michele.