hand dyed cotton lace + silk ribbon.

after spending time getting the ‘dungeon’ up and running i found myself craving studio time.   these past couple of weeks i have gotten up early, made my coffee (with honey + cream) and started a dye pot or two.   it began when the weather turned dreary, like autumn…and now that it’s sunny i am still in the routine of it.

my plan with these particular ribbons + laces are to sew them to the bottoms of bloomers.   it’s exciting to be working on fun fall designs!   i desire more colour + whimsey in my life.

in the ‘dungeon’ below our new shop, our new (used) cutting table has been erected and my back is happier now than ever before!   this is a very exciting step for the production of texture clothing.   with the precision cutting of our new (used) knife blade and the extremely sturdy cutting table, we are a real garment factory…my new friends make me giddy with delight!  

having such long tables means less waste…less scraps.   all of the pattern pieces fit together nicely on the marker (my paper pattern that sits atop of the layers of fabric) and i had room for all the comfy skirt sizes we were to cut.  

with the scraps, oso + i cut out knit mitts, headbands and scrappy scarves.   there wasn’t enough room for any ‘ophelia undies’ (tagline::feel oh so cheeky) this time…next round they will hopefully make the cut  ;)

saturday april 4th, 2009 was a sunny day on n. state street in bellingham.   my face hurt from smiling and laughing so much.   so many bosum friends came from miles around to witness the opening of my (first) shop!    collaborating with cara piscitello, of designLAB (vintage + locally hand made furniture and home decor), texture.home was born!

i will be making short runs of whimsical garments for sale exclusively in the shop…so you will need to keep checking in to see what’s new!   i’m looking forward to experimenting with all of the scraps that i have saved up from the past few years.   towards zero waste!   we are almost there…

late at night…diving into my creative energy, i began opening my tubs of mineral dyes…iron rust, caustic soda and tannic acid.   mixing them with hot water, i set them in a row on my stainless steel workbench.   i deciced to start with silk scarves and cotton aida cloth (typically used for crosstitch).   the colour study began.   i dipped a couple of the wetted pieces of cloth in the iron rust for a minute and then in the casutic soda for a minute…it oxidized and from a light brown to a deeper rust colour.   i rinsed them, then dipped one into the tannic acid for a minute, which produced a dark grey!   as i tried different variations of dipping, i created 6 unique colours from these bowls of soluble mineral dyes.

now i have decide what the next step is…leave them as scarves?  yup, i think so.  

crosstitch on the aida cloth?   that was my plan…but what?   i’m thinking of making patches.   we’ll see how that turns out…

 i have been busy this winter but not with creating + being crafty.   i have spent most of my work time on administrative tasks.   indeed i have sketched + felted + dyed cloth…just not as much as i usually do in the dark months.  

i just got back from a short holiday in south america.   these flutter-by pictures, taken (of one butterfly as it opens it’s wings) in iguazu falls, argentina, offer me inspiration!   having said that…it’s time to get back to work…errr, rather play!

hand dyed + hand woven, this rug now lies in my kitchen...

my life changed two years ago when i embarked on my first journey to holden village.   i felt more at home…more myself…than anywhere else.   free to study and practice what i love, i have furthered my education in::spinning wool, knitting + weaving.

this year my christmas + birthday were spent in that snowy wilderness.   i spent my time tromping around on my new snowshoes, making new friends and crafting.   (highlight::i knit my very first hat!)

every time i visit i have a different experience, and yet i am always gently led into a time of contemplation::to better understand myself and my spirit.   as i sit here in my beautiful, cozy, colourful studio (having left a part of my heart up in the mountains) i long for the sense of community that cannot be experienced any other place.