Master of A Dyeing Art

Gretchen Hoffman

Edwina Pellikka began her love affair with colors and painting

before she can remember.

Early photographs depict her as a 2-year-old sorting beads by

color, and she painted her first portrait of a prime minister at 10.

Today, she spends her days hand-dyeing wigs, cloth, pearls and

more for movie studios, opera companies and some ballet and theater

houses.

For Pellikka, who owns A Dyeing Art in Glendale, it’s an art form

that is slowly being lost as the old Hollywood moguls leave the

business. Not many people understand the precision that goes into the

process, she said.

“The margin of error is huge,” she said. “Even taping the fabric

onto the table, it has to be done right. If you mess up, you’re

messed up the whole table, the fabric, the steaming.”

Vats line one wall of her studio at 325 Mira Loma Ave., and her

dog, Gwennie, trails along behind her as she hurriedly sorts through

the hand-dyed and --painted remnants that serve as a testament to her

past work.

Her screen credit is extensive: She got her start with “Return of

the Jedi,” hand-painting the costumes used in the legendary battle

scenes, and softened and aged all of the wool suits in “Road to

Perdition.”

She made the flags and boxing-ring canvas for “Ali” and is

currently dyeing the fabric for the upcoming movie, “The Last

Samurai,” starring Tom Cruise. Other big-screen credits include “Dick

Tracy,” “Protocol”, “Golden Child” and the infamous giant condoms in

“The Naked Gun.”

She also hand-dyes fabric for high-end clothing labels, such as

Richard Tyler and Calvin Klein, and for runway samples. Celebrities

including Rod Stewart, Cher and Melanie Griffith have called on her

to re-dye some of their favorite ensembles.

Pellikka, who has a master’s degree in fine art, painting and

printing and served a 2 1/2--year apprenticeship at the Royal Opera

House, Covent Garden, opened her first shop in Hollywood in 1984. She

moved her studio to Glendale in 1989.

Pellikka isn’t stingy about sharing her knowledge and frequently

teaches classes.

“There are some people who try to keep their secrets, but I don’t

believe in that,” she said. “Anybody can make a cake with butter and

eggs, but not everyone can make the perfect patisserie.”

Notwithstanding her ribbing about “the jokes and the conversation

and the cheese” in the United States, Pellikka said A Dyeing Art

couldn’t have been successful in her native England.

“Without a doubt, America lets you achieve your dreams,” she said.

“Nobody is supposed to make a profit dyeing clothes.”