Tessa Nin Crosby

I am a self-taught textile artist, focusing on wax-resist dyeing techniques. I am inspired by traditional Indonesian batik practices, and enjoy combining ancient motifs with modern design to create scarves, shawls, pocket squares and fine art on both silk and cotton.

I have been a compulsive doodler for as long as I can remember. I love clean lines, negative space, and bold contrast. The patterns came so naturally it felt like they were imprinted on my brain. But I always wanted to add some texture to my drawings; the designs always seemed so two-dimensional. I wanted to play with textiles, but I had no idea what I was doing. I started practicing batik with wax left over from the candles at the restaurant where I worked, steamed in dropper bottles over a pot on the stove. After much trial and very much error, and plenty of steam burns, I began to translate my doodles into pieces of wearable art.

Discovering Dharma Trading Company was a gamechanger, especially the pre-hemmed dyeables. I am terrible at sewing, and hemming silk proved to be an impossible task. Finding an affordable source of pre-sewn silk and cotton dyeables really allowed me to launch Lines & Dots Designs! I also use their Procion fiber reactive dye, their trusty tjanting batik tools, and their wax blends.