Blog

When you read about Cyber Monday, one thinks of people glued to their computers, madly clicking away and purchasing plasma screen TV sets and oodles of electronica that are ON SALE for Cyber Monday through all the major retailers. Instead, why not celebrate Cyber Monday with a handmade gift?  There are some wonderful sites out […]

Looking for gift ideas for the serious textile artist?  That can sometimes be tricky, but here are some objects that we’ve chosen for beauty and functionality and we hope will be enjoyed for many years.  We spent the better part of last year searching for these items and discovered them in all sorts of unlikely […]

I was so shocked when I first dyed with weld.  I had no idea that this eye-dazzling yellow could come from a weedy looking, grassy smelling plant.  All the other yellow dyes I had tried: osage, fustic, pomegranate and myrobalan had been so much more discreet in their yellowness.  Their shades were golden, buff, bronze, […]

Madder is one of the historical dyes of antiquity and has been used throughout Europe, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent for centuries.  It is possible to see antique textiles from the 16th and 17th century that have been dyed with madder and the colors remain rich and vivid.  The famous Turkey Red recipe was […]

Nearly every summer in Seattle is so cold that climatologists officially classify it as the Year of the Green Tomato, which is the phenomenon where you have tons of tomatoes but none of them ripen.  Ever.  I didn’t think we could grow eggplants here.  I was thrilled and amazed that kale and broccoli produced all […]

I grew indigo this year.  Well, truthfully, the indigo grew itself.  The most successful plant is a volunteer that established itself in the garlic bed and has spread so much that it  is threatening to overtake the front walkway.  It’s bloomed and I am hoping I can gather some seeds from it.  The first batch […]