Last hike of the trip was to the Forty Nine Palms Oasis. Pretty amazing to experience the cool shade of huge palm trees growing in the mountains. 🌴🌴 I was on the hunt to spot a big horn sheep on this hike, but no dice. 🐏 Just saw lots and lots of chuckwalla iguanas. 🦎🦎
Travel sock knitting in the desert with some @labienaimee yarn in my @fringesupplyco field bag. ☀️🌵I had a reflective moment this morning in thinking of all the places this bag has traveled with me, and all the knit socks that have been held in it. The bag was with me when I bought this sock yarn in Paris, and now holds a memory in Joshua Tree. Also, we just saw a road runner. 😌 . . . . . . #fringefieldbag #whfcsockclub #sockknitting #labienaimee #specklesaresohotrightnow #desertknitting #travelknitting #fringeassociation #midwestmakers #operationsockdrawer #sockknitting #joshuatree #honeymoon #knitting
One more addition to the #MeMadeMay wardrobe: Ōshima Pullover by @olgajazzyknits. I've been practicing my machine knitting skills and decided to translate this handknit sweater pattern for the machine. I used @quinceandco Willet cotton yarn and it's the perfect weight for cool spring evenings. 🌄 Pants are by @laurenwinter.co and bag is my favorite to travel with by @lyonhartbagco. 📷: @croneintraining . . . . . #memademay2017 #mmmay17 #memademay17 #quinceyarn #willet #machineknitting #knitting #knitstagram #handmade #handmadewardrobe #sustainability #lyonhartbagco #laurenwinter #shopsmall #quince #quincewillet
Springtime desert blooms! ☀️🌵🌼
🌈❤️🙏✨
Eight months ago I married my best friend, and we are officially heading on our honeymoon today! I had to share the gift my talented colleague @madebyadri gave to me to honor the trip. She captured my dress and the day perfectly. Her talents continue to blow me away and I'm incredibly grateful to own one of her illustrations! ❤️ 💐 Can't wait to feel that desert heat! ☀️🌵
This fustic has got me all like 💛 . . . . . . #weaving #handwoven #wovenshibori #shibori #plantdye #naturaldye #naturalcolors #sustainableart #fiberart #meditation #nature #resistdyeing
Let some new weavings sit overnight in their dye bath, and this morning is the great reveal. This moody color is logwood with iron, still wet. 🔮 . . . . . #weaving #handwoven #shibori #wovenshibori #naturaldye #naturecolor #plantdye #creativeprocess #wip #fiberart #textileart #process #sustainableart #meditation
Headed on the honeymoon to Joshua Tree in one week! In the spirit of #MeMadeMay and feeling some sun on my skin, I've started sewing up some tank tops to use on the trip. ☀️🌵 Pattern is self drafted from 2012 (one of my favorite go-tos) and fabric is Birch organic double gauze. Any recommendations for the trip are welcomed! . . . . . #mmmay17 #fabricworm #birchfabrics #patternmaking #sewyourownclothes #slowfashion #handmadewardrobe #joshuatree #honeymoon #fashion #sewing #handmade
So so grateful for everyone who has downloaded my Community Socks pattern on Ravelry!! I can't wait to see them knit up and in the wild. It's still sock weather here so I'm breaking in this pair knit in @woolenboon's Nothing Gold Can Stay. 🌼Happy Sunday! . . . . . #communitysocks #handknit #sockknitting #woolenboon #operationsockdrawer #knitting #knittersofinstagram #knitterspayitforward #knitstagram #speckles #specklesaresohotrightnow #indiedyers #handknitwardrobe #mylifeinhandknits #mkeknits #mmmay17 #memademay #tattooedknitter
Fiber-friend-Friday edition of #MeMadeMay! I can't stop staring at the bright orange speckles on my new scarf naturally dyed by @littlechaos__made! She captured my spirit color perfectly, as well as my smile. 🙃 Scarf is shown layered with my handknit Blank Canvas sweater and a State the Label smock. It's just as much fun supporting slow fashion makers as making your own clothes! . . . . . #statethelabel #naturaldye #speckles #blankcanvas #ysolda #knitting #handknit #handknitwardrobe #mylifeinhandknits #plantdye #slowfashion #shopsmall #mmmay17 #handmadewardrobe #localcolor #sumac #rust
When one handweaver pairs well with another. 🌈 This Friday is @one_onethousand grand opening/gallery night and @melissa_jenkins styled the heck out of a vignette that showcases our weavings together. I'm smitten and wish I could be there. If you're local be sure to stop by the new studio and eat a slice of pie for me! . . . . . #Repost @melissa_jenkins with @repostapp ・・・ a sneak peek 👀 of the dining room vignette I styled for the @one_onethousand grand opening during Madison Gallery Night this Friday! come say hi, check out lots of rad goods from Madison Makers, & eat pie/drink punch with me!! 🎉💕☺️ . #mjdweavings #wiscoweavers #madisongallerynight #madisonmakers #midwestmakers #shibori #roving
Happy May Day and the beginning of #memademay! I'm excited to exchange making stories, inspiration and tips on being a better maker throughout the month. In honor of our ancestors who stood strong and defended the 8 hour work day, protested working conditions and child labor, I've decided to start the month with hand knit socks. I'm on my feet quite a bit during the work day, and some days (usually the chilly, gloomy ones) feel better when I have on socks I knit myself. I also love the imagery of all the places you can go in a pair of hand knit socks. All the things you can accomplish, represent and demonstrate. 💪 . . . . . . #mayday #slowfashion #havirland #handknit #operationsockdrawer #sockknitting #handknitwardrobe #mylifeinhandknits #frankensocks
Thanks to everyone who participated in the conversation about the fashion industry this week. It's nice to have this community of people to discuss ideas with and get motivated for change! 💪 I got some of my students motivated about natural dyeing their end of semester projects, and we got to make a dye bath of logwood and iron a few days ago. This color is everything I wanted it to be. 🐋 . . . . . . #naturaldye #plantdye #naturecolor #slowfashion #indiedyers #yarn #sustainability #logwood #knitting #weaving #textileart
Confession: I am officially the person who hoards packaging materials because I don't want to throw them away. From buying things in the store to ordering things online- I save every scrap of bubble wrap, tissue paper, and twine to reuse again for something else. I tend to save boxes to compost, as well as brown kraft paper and bags. We even wash and reuse ziploc bags in our house! Knowing all of this, I have to express my frustration and what has been recently on my mind regarding packaging. I really don't buy many things, and if I do I tend to skip the bag. I can see how much I've accumulated versus what I can actually use again as one person, and have got to wonder how much of what I'm saving ends up in the trash. For those of us that have worked retail, we know that almost every article of clothing that is shipped to a store is individually wrapped, usually in plastic. The plastic is removed and thrown away (usually in a plastic trash bag) before the garment is merchandised on the floor. When the garment it purchased, it's typically wrapped in tissue paper before going into a shopping bag. When the garment is home, tags are removed and thrown away, and so it all of the wrapping. That is so. much. waste. So how can the fashion industry be better about packaging? Sustainability is often talked about with the fibers used in a garment, but having all of that packaging waste really doesn't make an item sustainable anymore. When can all of our packaging be recyclable? Compostable? Reusable? How can a new campaign be started to bring awareness to this issue? Also, if you're local and need some bubble wrap, hit me up 🙃 . . . . . . #fashionrevolutionweek #fashion #fashionrev #sustainability #slowfashion #clothing #fashionindustry #bethechange #wasteless @fash_rev
Last October I was grateful to speak in front of sewing enthusiasts on the topic of Connecting with Your Clothes. During that presentation, we revisited the idea of the 30 wears challenge. With the fast fashion industry dominating the marketplace, the average woman keeps a piece of clothing in her closet for only 5 weeks, and will wear it less than 3 times before she gets rid of it. The idea behind 30 wears is how can we become more invested in our clothing, and wear them 30 times before we buy more clothing. Aside from buying ready made clothing, I think this also aligns with making your own clothes. When you really think about it, there probably isn't very many items in your closet that have been worn 30 times. I often wonder why are we so __________ about repeating our wardrobe? Why do we need a new outfit for every new event that appears on our calendars? How can we start taking better care of our clothing where we take pride in what we have on that day, knowing it's from 3 seasons ago? Today is Denim Day at work, bringing awareness to sexual violence. I decided to pull out a denim button down top I bought with a gift card from Club Monaco in 2011. It has holes from wearing it the past 6 years, and today it's not being worn under a sweater. I need to take some time to mend the holes, but at the same time I just want to embrace them and showcase them for the day. What items are in your closet that haven been worn 30 times? . . . . . . . #fashionrevolution #30wears #30wearschallenge #visiblemending #fashion #fashionrev #fashionrevolutionweek #clothing
Today starts @fash_rev week, marking the 4th anniversary of the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh. For those of you who don't know, by day I am a fashion educator. One of my goals as an educator is to lead discussions on how my students can be better consumers of fashion, as well as strong designers. This week I'm going to try to share my lifestyle choices/stuff that's on my mind when it comes to clothing and the fashion industry. One of the first things I consider when making a purchase is the fiber content. While I try to buy natural fibers as much as possible, it's never that easy. The cotton industry is one of the heaviest users of pesticides. Rayon/bamboo/tencel seem like great fibers, but they are in fact man made and go through a heavy chemical process to become fabric fibers (see @reunionyarn post today for more info on the process). Wool/alpaca/llama/cashmere fibers can be over produced where the animals are treated inhumanely. And that's just natural fibers! Synthetic fibers like polyester/acetate/acrylic create heavy pollution during their manufactured process. So how do we shop better when it comes to considering fiber content? Start by supporting your local fiber farmers! There are so many wonderful farmers (female farmers too!) all over the globe that are paving the way with transparency of farm to needle. Check your garment tags. Do your research and ask questions. If you can splurge on one nice organic cotton, made in the USA garment- go for it! If not, then upcycle your yarns from old projects or thrift store sweaters. How does fiber content impact the way you shop?? . . . . #fashionrevolution #whomadeyourclothes #imademyclothes #handmadewardrobe #slowfashion #fashiontransparency #fashion #organicfiber #farmtoneedle
Why I choose natural dyes (a short list): -I like connecting with colors that I can forage from the Earth -I enjoy the challenge of ecological balance when harvesting natural color -I like the idea of colors fading over time and wear, and the opportunity to create something new all over again -It's important to me to think about the impact of dye on our water systems, and I appreciate how little impact natural dyes have compared to synthetic color -Just like eating seasonal, I like to consider how natural color rotates in season and how we can take advantage of that at different times of year. This can be a challenge when living in the upper Midwest, but with careful planning there can be color given year round. Happy Earth Day friends! I hope you're taking advantage of this sunny day and reflecting on how even a small change in habits can lead to positive results when caring for our planet. 🌎♻️💕🌻 . . . . . . . #naturaldye #earthdayeveryday #earthday #planetearth #naturecolor #plantdye #slowfashion #naturalcolors #localcolor #mkeknits #sockknitting #sockyarn
Ardent shawl is headed out into the wild 🌊 . . . . . . #whfcspringkal #ardentshawl #fiberstory #mkeknits #springknits #slowfashion #handknit #knitting #knittersofinstagram