Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebekah Lill.
Hi Rebekah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been completely fascinated with hand-crafting since I was very young. My mom taught me to crochet when I was only six or seven years old and I’ve been doing it on and off since then. Most of the women in my family do some kind of craft or another, so the urge to make things “The old-fashioned way” came naturally to me.
A couple of years ago, I was crocheting a baby blanket for a friend and was searching for yarn that was made from natural fibers. Wichita, the largest city near me, doesn’t have a local yarn shop so I was visiting the big box stores and found myself disappointed in the options. Around that time, another friend introduced me to hand-dyed yarn and it was like a new world of high-quality fibers opened up to me.
A couple of months later, she invited me to join her knitting group for a solar dye day where we would dye yarn using mason jars, dye, and the sun. I dyed my first skein of yarn that day and I was instantly hooked. At first, I was only dyeing yarn for myself but it wasn’t long before I started dyeing for others as well.
In March of 2021, I opened an online shop. Over the next several months, my business continued to grow and I needed to find studio space. By November, I had opened my brick & mortar store and studio in the Historic Downtown District of El Dorado, KS.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Although I have only been at this for a short while, I can honestly say there are challenges every single day. In addition to being the sole person running my business I also work a full-time job.
Thank God for great bosses. One of my biggest challenges is managing my time. Striking the right balance between productivity and personal life is easier said than done. I’m beginning to understand the importance of prioritizing what must be done and what can be left to take care of another day.
It hasn’t taken me long to learn that when I’m feeling burnt out, the creative juices don’t flow very well and it’s better to just take a breath. I think most makers can relate to the struggle that comes with doing something creative and artistic as a business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in hand-dyeing protein fibers such as wool, silk, and alpaca, just to name a few. In the beginning, I was only hand-dyeing yarn but late last year I added some silk products to my selection. Now you can find silk scarves, scrunchies, pillowcases, and more in my shop.
I believe offering more hand-dyed products than just yarn and spinning fiber is something that sets me apart from other “indie dyers.” Adding the silk products to my line happened naturally and it has been a great way to expand outside of solely the yarn business. I love learning new things and I enjoy variety, so I’m excited to see what’s next.
I’m really proud of how far my little business has come in such a short time. I could not have done it without my local community and their support means the world to me.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite memories is going with my grandparents to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield every fall. They went every year for many, many years and I have such fond memories of spending hours at the Paulette Rush Arts and Crafts Show there.
I was inspired by it year after year. I never would have guessed I would someday be there sharing my own craft. But last year I had the opportunity to be a crafter at the 2021 show and it was a little surreal after having gone for so many years as a child.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@amberwavesdyestudio.com
- Website: www.amberwavesks.com
- Instagram: @amberwavesdyestudio
- Facebook: @amberwavesdyestudio
Image Credits
Helaina Hovitz, Jenna Dunn, Tanner Fleming, and Tory D. Photography
