Comfort, home, and warmth are things we gravitate towards as human beings. As we drift away from our homes, in times of despair we still yearn to return to our hearth. Within all of us, is a piece of the goddess Hestia. A mother and a teacher, she guides us forward whilst keeping a firm grip. 

 

The mentality of safety and home can be detected through symbols within our lives. Linen, a textile of the home, is a comforting sight, solely because of its plain weave pattern. Systematic, simple lines are pleasing to the eye, giving the mind something to settle within without fear. The violet color is derived from logwood, a flowering tree native to South and Central America. The blossoming species produces a rich feminine color, when using the bark to dye. Yet, altered with ferrous sulfate, the tone can be shifted to an ashier violet. It is a contrast that Hestia herself contains, a feminine caring mother, but a reprimanding teacher. The printed textile is derived from my personal sense of home and warmth. Dyed with eucalyptus, chamomile, and rust, these are things that remind me of my hometown. I grew up hiking through the mountains of the Northern California Coast, smelling and picking leaves from the eucalyptus trees that are older than my grandparents. The minty smell transports me back to crisp sea salt and earthy days. Chamomile tea, derived from a flower blossom, is used to calm and promote sleep; snuggled up in bed with a book and a warm cup of tea. The rust is a reminder of home now — New York City. Forgotten scraps, left to decay into the concrete of the city. Something so jarring, yet familiar to the city.

 

A symbol, a fragrance, a sound — all things that bring us home. Each and every one of us has something that transports us back to a sense of safety. Large garments, reminiscent of blankets, hug us like the arms of a mother — Hestia. Anything to feel safe.