skirts, this time, blue.

This week's fresh batch of skirts. Handmade. Upcycled. Garment-Dyed. One of a kind. Maybe they haven't been poked and prodded enough. Should I do something else to them? Sautee? Render? Transmogrify? Crunch? Parse?

today in the studio ... garment-dyed skirts

Oh, garment dyeing, where have you been all my life?

I have kept dyeing somewhat at arms' length for fear of loving it too much, (Over-Complicating Things is my superpower) but also because precision is not my strong point. Nor is it extremely fascinating to me. I like chance and randomness, surprise and freshness in my work. But the process of garment dyeing has got me hooked right now. It provides just the right balance ... instead of sewing a finished garment, I'm making a raw piece and letting the dye finish it. I'm not trying to get accuracy, I'm trying to get interesting. So far, so good. 

Also it's such a different way to think about color — it's got my brain spinning in a very satisfying way. So here's a skirt I made, before dyeing — trust me, it was physically difficult for me to put those colors next to each other:

 And here it is, all done:

This skirt has sold already but I have another purple one and some lovely squashy-yellow ones that I'm listing today ... plus I'll be making more this week. Cannot. Wait.

PURMPLE

Finger Lakes Lavender Festival, Skaneateles New York

Here's the scoop on the lavender fest. It's the Finger Lakes Lavender Festival. 

It is actually, literally, on a lavender farm - the Lockwood Farm. 

Lockwood Farm, Skaneateles New York

Don't tell them but I would probably pay just to set my tent up and sit out in their fields all weekend because of LAVENDER, of course, but also because it's on Skaneateles Lake. 

I guess I'll bring some clothes along though. Here's what I'm doing in the studio in anticipation ... Purple ... I'm soaking in it. I'm whipping up a few special batches of things for next week. I dyed a bunch of silk organza to a lush shade:

 

And I made it all into swirly flouncy scarves. 

Like this, except purple: 

 

And I'm turning some purple cotton gauze, see the middle heap:

 

into some Emphella Shells. 

 Like this, only purple:

You should go too. If you live somewhere else you should move here this week. Hurry!

Jennifer in Secret Lentil: All Hands on Deck!

Here's Jennifer! HI JENNIFER.
She's wearing her "All Hands on Deck" shirt.
This one:

Dear Diary, I'm growing a small zoo on my kitchen countertop, it's super keen.

When I'm not making things in the studio I'm usually home making things in the kitchen.  My brain was made to transmogrify things into other things - it's where I shine, as opposed to say, needing to get to a place at a specific time. Lately my food-thoughts have turned (is that a pun?) to all things fermented. I'm a fairly regular maker of kimchi but I've been wanting to make some plain old sauerkraut. I admit I got sidetracked by The Potentially Eternal Quest For The Perfect Crock but a facebook friend just posted a link to Make Handmade Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar. Of course! I'm the only person in the house who likes it anyway, and a tiny batch seems very accessible. And quite possibly cute. I already had about a third of a head of cabbage waiting in the fridge, which I turned into this:



Is it adorable or am I too close to the material? * tickles chin of sauerkraut *

Okay, I know the next one is solidly not cute, and also puts me into the realm of One Of Those People, but I've also just taken up making kombucha.

 

So, not cute, but seriously delicious. If you like fizzy sweet vinegar drinks. And it turns out that I do. I've been curious about it, but shy, then happened to visit a friend on a day when she was brewing a batch so she showed me her process. Then as if by some Force of Bacteria and Yeast From On High, studio neighbors gave me a bottle they had made and I was able to hatch a SCOBY from that. SCOBY is short for Sustained Cultish Bottling Yokels, I think? Something like that. I'm not looking for converts or to convince you that this will reconnect you with a long-lost state of perfection or anything, I just like it. I made mine using these directions from the kitchn. And I've been squeezing some fresh ginger juice into each bottle. Yum.