While incorporating the beauty of the natural
World into her Work, Julia White, JeWelWeeds,
founder and resident artist, creates environmentally friendly products made to last.
Can you briefly tell us about
yourself?
I live in Brooklyn with my
husband and many, many house-plants. Right now I’m really
excited about my Meyer lemon
tree. It has about four tiny baby
lemons on it, and I’m really hoping that I can get at least one to
mature and ripen. I can never say
no to a new tool or gadget. I love
to bake and cook and wish that
I had more time for both.
to be able to shut the door and
walk away at the end of the day
without having to clean up!
Do you like to work in silence
or with music blaring (or
somewhere in between)?
I definitely need some noise, I feel
very still and uncreative in silence.
I usually have on NPR throughout the day, but occasionally I
need a break from the “real world”
and Pandora is wonderful for that.
Do you come from an eco-conscious family/background?
Yes, and way before it was cool
to be! My mom is a science
teacher and an environmentalist
and this definitely informed my
sensibilities and influenced my
plans to make Jewelweeds as
eco-conscious as possible.
What is your greatest inspiration?
The natural world, no question.
Where do you do your best work?
Since I do just about all of my
work at home, I would have to
say at home, but I always get
a creative recharge by getting
outside. Luckily, we live really
close to Prospect Park and the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Where is your work space?
I’m lucky enough to have a
tiny room in our apartment
that is solely dedicated as the
Jewelweeds studio. It is so nice
Are you a neatnik or mad scientist when working?
I am certainly not a neatnik—
not by any stretch of the
imagination! But I do really love
to start a project by reorganizing my space. Maybe it’s just a
method of procrastination, but
it really helps me get excited and
energized for something new.
But then again, I’m someone
who constantly forgets where
I’ve put stuff away, so sometimes
I’m more productive in a mess!
Any trade secrets/words of
wisdom you’d like to divulge
to Sweet Paul readers?
Don’t ever throw away old
toothbrushes—they are so
useful for cleaning all sorts of
things, especially block printing stamps and silk screens.
(How unglamorous is that!)
For more information, go to:
www.jewelweeds.com.
Jeweled SuStainability
Using techniques such as block printing
and hand embroidery, Jewelweeds’ handcrafted
products are made on sustainable textiles
like linen and organic cotton.
