We are three creative plant scientists who share a fascination for plants and a love for textiles, design, and visual arts. From microscopic patterns inside plants, we create a unique form of art to spread fascinating facts about nature. We want to share our passion for crafting with textiles to inspire others to create lovable items that bring joy to everyday life. We believe in a sustainable way to live and consume, which is why we are transitioning to a purly print-on-demand concept for our patterns. What you want to buy is produced, but we don’t keep any stocks and we don’t want you to buy things you don’t need.
Our friendship began at Umeå Plant Science Centre while we were post-doctoral research fellows and even though since then life has taken us to different places – geographically and metaphorically – our excitement and enthusiasm for the intricate patterns hidden in the microscopic world of plants has remained strong (read more about our design process) .
We are so excited to share our appreciation for plants and the hidden patterns inside them with you!
Melissa
My love of plants started in Grade 5 after I volunteered to be the “Class Botanist” in charge of watering the class plants every week. From then on, I always had an interest in plants and completed my B.Sc. and then a Ph.D. in plant biology. My research focused on how cell walls develop in commercially important plants, including linen fibre production in flax and wood development in hybrid aspen.
Eventually after moving back to Canada I transitioned away from active research and am currently working as an undergraduate lab coordinator at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. I am so excited that Flora-L provides an outlet for me to continue to share my love and fascination of plants.
Judith
My passion for plant biology developed during my time as a student in Germany and France and enticed me to move from biochemistry into molecular plant biology. Since 2016 I lead a research team focussing on understanding how trees interact with beneficial fungi and how this symbiosis helps trees to grow. I love sharing my research with society in various ways to show how fascinating and beautiful plants are even on the inside. This passion, together with my love for textiles and crafting, led to the birth of Flora-L Design. Working creatively with my hands has always delighted me and is a great way to complement my work in academia.
Delphine
Fascination for plants started at a young age, just amazed to see how fruits and veggies emerged from a plant. This eventually led me to complete a Ph.D. in plant science studying how plants cope with tons of heavy metals in the soil. At that stage, I had only some shallow insights into plant anatomy. The love story began during my post-doctoral research studying the core function of plant cells, spending countless hours observing cells’ structure and function.
I am now working behind the scenes of research and work as an assistant editor in an international journal for plant biology.