Stella Ranae Von Schmid

Stella Ranae Von Schmid is native to the Northeast Coal Mining Region of Pennsylvania. For the past 23 years she has achieved an in-depth knowledge of vintage/antique fashion & home décor, with a targeted focus on clothing & textiles.

In the last few years of her work, she moved heavily towards restoration - studying natural color & its history - working to correctly restore textiles. This restoration quickly progressed into natural dye work & printing with botanical matter.

Her botanical dyeing is focused on wearable fashion, utility art, & zero waste. This multiple step art form is part of the Slow Art Movement & derived from centuries old folk traditions of making dye & coloring fibers. A method of direct contact printing, pulling out pigments & impressions from flowers & plants. She takes it to a modern, eco-conscious place- organic & sustainable.

Stella’s results are one-of-a-kind. All works process differently with factors like: time of year-rainfall- foraged area- even the water sourced. This uniqueness is never a flaw, rather what makes it so special.

“I strive to respect nature & work seasonally with fresh or fallen botanical matter, just like how I garden & eat. That gift comes from my Dad, who grew up in a large farming family. I forage locally in the city of Savannah, mostly by bicycle. If you know Savannah, our amazing tree canopy is true inspiration & utilized in all my art. What better gift can you take away from such a special place! In my downtime: it’s more research & experiments. I machine sew & hand stitch. You can also find me in the garden year round growing native plants & medicinals herbs, veggies & lots of flowers. I am even growing my own indigo now!"

Instagram: @stellaranae

Email: stellaranae@hotmail.com