Chelsea Dennis
Chelsea Dennis
Textile Artist
Northern California has become a nexus (or nucleus or home) for great artisans and bespoke craftsmanship, particularly femmes and womxn creatives. From artist co-ops to pop-ups, wine country heralds an incredible community where local and handmade objects are at the core of local retail businesses and consumer shopping. One of those special artisans is Whimsy Makes, a textile-focused art studio founded by Chelsea Dennis.
Chelsea uses plant-based natural dyes as well as synthetic, fiber-reactive dyes manipulated with things like citric acid, soda ash, and iron to. transform accessories, textiles, and housewares into unique, functional pieces of art. When it comes to working with natural dyes, “The beauty of it is that you're in the hands of the dye gods. I've learned much about the practice of non-attachment through natural dyeing,” she jokes. While she implements a large arsenal of ethically foraged, local materials, Chelsea also works with eco-friendly, fiber-reactive to create these gorgeous, rippling watercolor effects. Of both methodologies, Chelsea explains, “I get to have this access to modern technology through art, as well as a really ancient and beautiful relationship with nature, and I try to be very thoughtful about both worlds.”
.…
“I get to have this access to modern technology through art, as well as a really ancient and beautiful relationship with nature, and I try to be very thoughtful about both worlds.”
Throughout her twenties, Chelsea worked in various trades, from floral design to organic farming to viticulture. Like so many, the pandemic changed the course of her life. Before Whimsy Makes, Chelsea founded Whimsy Gatherings, a celebration company enriching parties and weddings through uniquely playful and interactive experiences. She created an organic cotton candy cart that served candy clouds with edible flowers. Chelsea also created a 9-foot-tall, traveling maypole with 20-foot-long, hand-dyed silk ribbons, a creation that later inspired her move into the world of textile artistry. “We were in lockdown, and I had all of this creative energy that I was pouring into my business. I started doing all of this research about working with and dyeing silk. It was such a fun project for me, so it eventually turned into masks, and then I started Whimsy Makes,” she reminisces.
Today, Chelsea’s studio is just a stone’s throw away from Plow’s home base in Sonoma. Alongside 30-some other fantastic artists, Whimsy is located at the Studio Santa Rosa–the largest and longest-running art studios in town. Aside from regular pop-ups in Bay Area and Northern Cali studios and shops, Chelsea also offers workshops where people can hand-dye and take home their very own textiles.
Of Whimsy, Chelsea says, “I have never felt so authentically connected to my voice: I'm working with food; I'm working with flowers; I'm working with nature and fabric and costume. The work that I'm doing now is what I feel like I was supposed to be doing.”
Plow’s flagship collection of hand-curated home goods launches in November of 2022, and we’re proudly offering one-of-a-kind, handmade textiles by Whimsy Makes. In celebration of our collab, we sat down with Chelsea and asked ten questions about her process of transforming the mundane into magic. Here’s what we learned.
Why is design or creativity important to you?
Design dovetails into the idea of creating these moments of magic in the day-to-day. I think that we all need more magic. So part of what I do is to create whimsical items that can be woven into the fabric of your life. I try to think about that with every piece—how it will get used and how it might snuggle into what your life looks like.
What was your turning point as a creative person?
It’s interesting to think about it in the context of a moment because I don't remember a time when I wasn't a creative person. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been raised in a creative family that prioritized that. Both of my parents are artists. My father was a food photographer turned chef, and his perspective on making food beautiful is woven into my DNA. My mother worked with event flowers for a long time and now does many other types of visual art. They created a home where we always had opportunities to create, so creativity feels like a part of me.
Which values most inform your work?
Sustainability & flexibility
Even when you’re naturally dyeing, it’s a very water-consumptive process because organic materials need hours upon hours to steep and steam. We are living through a very extreme drought, so with everything I do, I try to be in dialogue with myself on how I can achieve this more thoughtfully. I am in the process of finding the voice within Whimsy Makes that feels the most sustainable to me.
I am also trying to create a different relationship with perfectionism. Part of what natural dying has provided for me is a deep lesson in not getting stuck on the result. I think that is helping both my business and my growth as a person as I experience this loosening of the grip on how something should look. As a value for a business, it’s important to me to discover more ways of being within Whimsy—that there isn't just one result—and that feels pretty powerful to me right now.
“You don't always notice the beauty in the things that are around us until you pull back a little bit.”
Describe something relating to your craft that has had a profound impact on you.
I feel a bit dorky saying this, yet it's true. For a long time, we had a Chromecast on our TV that would filter through these satellite images of Earth from space. I’m so endlessly inspired by the colors, tones, and textures of satellite imagery. I get chills even when I bring them up. pH-modifying with natural dyes—materials like citric acid, soda ash, and iron—create these watercolor effects too, and I'm always pulling inspiration from aerial photography for that.
I’m also in awe of how stepping away from something gives it a little bit of space to settle. In returning to it, I find it always helps me reach the next phase of a project. You don't always notice the beauty in the things that are around us until you pull back a little bit.
Where do you find inspiration?
When I read this question, the first person who came to mind is Sam Gillian. I've always been incredibly inspired by his work, even before I started working with textiles. Sam’s installations have these layers upon layers of color, texture, tone, drips, streaks, and spills over draping fabrics. His massive pieces of art seep with emotion and with this kinetic energy that flows through the fabric. As a textile artist, I now have access to this different language, and I can feel his work in this new, deeply inspiring way. I love that I get to work with fabric, and see how things drape and land.
How do you nurture creativity?
I'm still learning this one. I try to be aware when I get bogged down by the pressures of living in an extremely capitalist society. As an artist, I have this beautiful thing that I want to cherish and honor, but it's also my job.
What helps me the most is stepping away for a minute and prioritizing self-compassion and ease, which looks like being in nature and around friends—anywhere I can get that beautiful convergence of laughter, joy, and play.
Play is a huge part of my creative expression. Last year I got into roller skating, which has actually been great for my mental health because you have to be incredibly embodied. You can't think about anything else, or you might fall. It's been a way for me, when I'm feeling that overwhelm, to tap into my body, let the other things go, dance and vibe. With a business called Whimsy I have to keep it playful, or else it's just not going to work.
What does being productive look like for you?
I find that I have the most successful productivity when I'm able to be strategic about working through orders in big batches. It gets a little complicated because I am just one person, so it’s always ideal when I can get a lot done rather than getting stuck doing admin or taking photos and editing—aspects that are less exciting to me.
What feels amazing is when I can get into a flow state. I’ll have a big vat of madder root over here and all these fabrics for things prepped over there. Then, I’ll be dyeing pillowcases with four yards of fabric going while I have bundle dyes in the steamer. There are petals, onion skins, and things flying around, and suddenly I'm in this complete state of ecstasy because everything's landing exactly where I need it. At other times, I have two weeks of feeling like, “Shit. I really need to like get this project done because it's holding up other things.” It's a dance of being open to what that week will look like and staying curious rather than having an emotion that feels intense about a work thing. It's not the most linear answer because I don't exactly know yet, but I'm working on it.
What are your three favorite objects and why?
I'm a bit of a basketcase—I love baskets. My partner asks, “Another basket? Where are you going to put that?”—I will always find a place for a basket; I have two at my feet right now. My favorite is this Portuguese fishing basket with a lid that swivels over and sits on top. I use it as a purse; I use it to harvest flowers and veggies, and; at the moment, I have a crochet project in it. That's my Portuguese fishing basket, and it’s wonderful.
Coffee is crucial for my productivity, so I have a very close relationship to starting my day with it. I went to a popup a few months ago, and I got this Zoe Dering mug. It’s such a beautiful shape, and it’s so tactile. I love the way that it feels because it has these ridges with such drama and depth. There's something very grounding about her work, and having a special mug feels like a really nice little ritual.
My third favorite piece is this ring by Amanda Hunt. The way that it makes me feel when I put it on is instant. She works with these soft, malleable shapes that simulate the fluidity of nature. It’s what my work is also all about, so wearing it is a sweet reminder. I also particularly enjoy it in relationship to my finger tattoos, which I know is not an object, but it would be my fourth favorite thing if I could name one. My hands are my most important tool, so having this item to wear is a mental reminder that they are special.
What’s your hidden superpower?
I would say my superpower is making the mundane feel more magical. My main passion and focus is the functional art aspect of what I'm doing. I like making things that people can incorporate into their lives in a way that infuses magic into the everyday. Part of it is luxury, but another part of it is feeling into a certain lightness in a very heavy time.
That's why working with silk has become so important to me. Silk is such a magic trick—it is literally woven by bugs—and in its natural process of being made, it's infused with a lot of really cool properties. It has a protein called sericin, which has a really healing quality to it. It’s become a kind of trend in the beauty industry because of its ability to hydrate, plump, and smooth the skin. There’s beauty and science wrapped up into it, which I find really fascinating. Silk is also such an incredible material to dye with because it takes pigment beautifully, particularly natural pigment, and it can be manipulated in really interesting ways. I think that’s why I’m so passionate about the silk pillowcases, scrunchies, and eye masks that I'm making. They feel amazing and there's just something so inherently magical about them.
I’m also really great at untangling jewelry. I was reminded of this recently with my family. Everyone was handing me their knotted things to be freed.
How are you leveraging design or creativity to create change?
There's something about creating everyday objects that help people pull back from the monotony, from the routine of life. I’m personally always working toward that and a lot of people in my life are more consciously making efforts to be more present, to heal, and slow down in their lives. You can call it whimsy, or an unusual, playful sensibility.
I'm trying to create that within my life—to find moments to slow down and get curious. I hope these textiles create that for people when they experience the texture of a silk organza scrunchie in their hair or when they feel the satiny smoothness of silk. These little moments of connection are small, and I think that we miss them all the time. I like to think that the things I'm making can help connect you to that feeling.