Photography: Natalie Dodd, Erro Studio
Spend a hazy summer’s day in the Somerset countryside with printmaker Jessie de Salis, captured beautifully on 16mm film by Natalie Dodd and Peter Butterworth of Erro Studio. Crafting Joy is a tender, light-soaked portrait of the handmade; an ode to the rhythm, colour, and quiet magic of textile printmaking.
Filmed inside Jessie’s light-filled barn studio, the short film drifts between moments of calm concentration and warm family energy as Jessie works alongside her cousins. Surrounded by rolling fields, open air and linen hung out to dry, the film immerses us in a world where colour is slow, tactile, and deeply connected to nature.
A Practice Rooted in Place and Process
Jessie de Salis runs a small textile studio in Somerset. What began on the kitchen table has grown into a thriving barn-based practice defined by bold, joyful design and a deep respect for the environment.
Her fabrics are hand-screen printed in small batches using organic linens sourced from Europe and water-based, plant-inspired inks. Shapes and motifs are drawn from the surrounding landscape: shifting seasons, stories passed down, and the moods of the rural world.
Every piece is hand-pulled, handled individually, and left with the subtle variations that make printed textiles feel truly alive. As Jessie puts it, “Handprinted fabric has a special quality… the slight variations make it personal. Every piece is unique.
Erro Studio’s 16mm Lens
The film was created by Natalie Dodd of Erro Studio, whose work is known for its sensitive attention to light and colour. Her cinematic eye brings a dreamlike softness to the barn interior, warm sun diffusing across linen, hands coated in pigment, silks drying in the breeze.
Erro Studio’s approach turns a simple day of printing into a meditation on pattern, texture, and the joy of making. The film’s grainy 16mm finish adds another layer of tactility, echoing the handmade nature of Jessie’s work.
Nature, Fabric & Family
Throughout the film, Jessie prints her bright, playful designs, mixes natural dyes, and hangs freshly printed silks in the Somerset fields. It’s a celebration of creativity shared between family members, rooted in the land and bound by process.
Crafting Joy is exactly that; a film that honours joy as a practice, woven through fabric, nature, and the act of making.
More from Jessie de Salis
Website: www.jessiedesalis.com
Instagram: @jessiedesalis
Film & Photography: errostudio
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