Art Is You Petaluma!

Future garment in the process

For those who don't know I'm teaching at Art Is You in Petaluma it's fast approaching.  There are a few openings left in my class if you're interested in reconstructing a garment from unloved shirts., BUT the DEADLINE is September 12th! Go here for more info. on my class and then check out others too.   For those who can't take the class but live in the area you should consider coming to vendor day!  So many fabulous items to see and purchase.  Go here for more information about Art Trunk vendor show.  And if you show up please stop by my space and say hello!

I've been posting garments on my FaceBook page but for those who don't do FB here are some garments I've been recreating to sell on vendor day.

 This garment I'm working on.  The skirt is brown corduroy.  I pinned some trim I get from Giselle Shepatin and the colors work great but not sure it's the trim I want to use.  I'll try some different crochet lace trims, maybe a silk sash that ties in back, or perhaps some metallic lace pieces.  What do you envision?

Hope to see you in Petaluma!

Things Are Brewing

Things are literally brewing!  Fabrics wrapped in bundles with leaves, flowers petals, and onions skins.  Sometimes iron pieces in the shape of a key or washer are added.  Then the bundles get put in a steamer to brew.  I have fabrics in washtubs brewing in a tea bath.  I have silk, cotton, rayon, and velvets, brewing in naturals dye colors of lac, cochineal, madder, chestnut, logwood, and fustic.

All this brewing along with the ideas in my head for new classes to teach in 2014.  Discover how easy dyeing fabric really is and the surprise elements of botanical dye prints in the shape of leaves, flowers, or a kaleidoscope of colors by strewing and sprinkling all sorts of botanicals on our fabrics.  This is a taste of dyed fabrics.  The projects will come later after class applications are submitted and answered.

Who wants to learn about natural dyes and have fun doing it?