Announcing the Decadent Textiles Box

The Magnificent Bundles have been so well received that I’ve decided to expand upon them, increasing the amount of fabric, supplies and notions and offer on a monthly basis for the duration of my dye season: July, August and September.

Receive a generous parcel of luxurious, decadent textiles at your doorstep in late July! I’m taking pre-orders to purchase and prepare a fine collection of linen fabrics, naturally dyed organic sateen, eco-dyed silks, flosses of linen and silk-cotton, lovely sewing notions and a surprise treat all meant to indulge. Pre-order now for a late July delivery.

I will gather and assemble a unique, special box each month for the months of July, August and September. A new listing will be posted here at the top of each month, and announcements will be made on IG, on my blog and in my newsletter. Purchase of that month’s box will be available until sold out.

You can expect approximately 1-1/2 yards of specialty fabric with each box, plus the other textile goods and notions. I truly enjoy sharing the fine quality materials and tools that I personally love, and that enrich and enhance any stitching project. I hope you’ll treat yourself to a surprise parcel of extraordinary textile treasures!

The photo above is meant to give an idea of the kinds of textiles that will be in the Decadent Textiles Box. It is not what will be shipped, as July’s box is currently being assembled and products are en route from around the world. Happy dance.

Naturally dyed Linen Pre-Cuts now in the shop!

As of today, new fabrics are in the shop, while supplies last. Naturally dyed linen fabrics are a new addition and I hope you’ll like them as much as I do! I’m also trying out beautiful sets of three sateen Fat Quarters. Having a group of colors that work well together can make starting a project easier. Have a look!

As always, I love hearing from you: @tierneybarden or tierneybarden@gmail.com, or in the comments below!

The Race Is On

Today is Friday, October 19th, and probably our last day in the upper 50’s, which means my indigo vat has one last round before hibernating for the winter.

photo courtesy of Tracy Altieri.

Fabrics are soaking, and the clock is ticking. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands in that big blue vat! If you’ve followed along on Instagram, you’ll have had a glimpse at an average dye day and how it moves from hour to hour throughout the day. Suffice it to say, with all of the dyeing these past few weeks, there will be a shop update very soon!

These action photos were taken by my very talented friend Tracy Altieri, and you can find her gorgeous blog here and on Instagram @myretiringlife. On this particular dye day, Tracy swiftly captured me gingerly shaking out the fabric immediately upon exiting the vat. The fabric transitions from a yellow-green to blue-green and then to a majestic blue, as seen below. The blue deepens with each dip in the vat. This process never ceases to delight and impress! With that, I’m off to the vat, tick tock!

Indigo dyed sateen drying among the dogwoods.

A shop update is quickly approaching!

photo courtesy of Tracy Altieri.

Stay tuned for next week’s post!

Friday, October 26th is my day on the fun-filled blog hop for Karen Lewis’s chic new book, Wabi-Sabi Sewing! Meet the entire line up of talented, generous sewers and quilters on the blog hop which begins Wednesday, October 24th with Svetlana Sotak at http://www.sotakhandmade.blogspot.com. I’m thrilled to be a part of the blog hop celebrating Karen’s book. Follow along to see gorgeous examples several of us have made from the book. There will be giveaways, too, including one happening right here! You won’t want to miss it!

A hidden clue for next week’s exciting post. Can you spot it?

I hope this weekend brings you some of what you love most about fall! See you next week!

Slow Fashion October and a Mighty Mini

I’ve recently had an epiphany: I deserve more time to play, and with my own fabrics.

Bird’s eye view of my mini quilt and trusty tools.

Silly as it sounds, since starting this beautiful dye business I’ve been of the mindset that the fabrics are for my customers, as well as for sample making and ready-made gifts for the shop, but not for me to let loose and play with. This stemmed from the fact that the substrates I purchase are organic and, therefore, more expensive. If you follow my Instagram feed you may have seen what my average dye day looks like in real time. The dye side of my business leaves little time to play, clearly an area of my work life that could use a little rebalancing.

With that said, I’m resisting no longer, and I’m ready to have the same kind of fun playing with colors and designs that you have! I want to immerse myself in stitching these incredibly beautiful fabrics like you do! Knowing that magic happens when I allow myself time to play, I’m making my first mini quilt!

Inspired by Amish and Welsh quilts, I sketched out a simple design that would allow the colors to sing. Next, I set about assembling the top using two fat quarters (one pink and one gold), a few scraps, and because I don’t dye black, some ready-made black organic sateen. This mini has one layer of wool batting. I’ll decide the binding color once the quilting is complete.

My hand-eye coordination is adjusting to making tiny stitches. I’m being brave (or ridiculous) by not drawing any quilting lines. I’ve done some big stitch quilting projects this year and I believe that’s where I developed this habit of eyeballing my quilting lines. Gosh, this is fun!

Here in the studio, there’s something special in the works, but first I really want to hear from you! In the comments below, tell me your favorite mini quilt design, your preferred way to hang mini quilts, if you exchange blocks with your quilty friends and whether you keep or give your minis! Anything you want to share about your love of mini quilts would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Hoping to finish my Zweig sweater (pattern by Caitlin Hunter) during #slowfashionoctober

Photo courtesy of www.fringeassociation.com

Do you know about #slowfashionoctober?

Karen Templer annually hosts this thought-provoking opportunity to increase awareness of fast fashion and how we personally relate to it. Connect with a growing community, join in diverse conversations, read interviews and see inspiring projects all throughout October (and beyond). If you have an interest in your clothes, the textile industry, mindfulness about what we put on our bodies and in the earth, you’ll want to watch The True Cost , check out Karen’s website for thought-provoking prompts, interviews, inspiration and much more, and of course, follow the action on Instagram at #slowfashionoctober. Thank you Karen for creating and hosting this life-changing event!

Do you love butternut squash? I recently made this recipe and it’s so good! If you’ve never tried frying fresh sage leaves in butter, this is a perfect time to give it a go. All I can say is that I’ll be making this recipe all winter long.

While you’re over on Instagram exploring #slowfashionoctober, have a peek at my recent cochineal dye day @tierneybarden

#MakeDo Progress and a Sale!

Last week, I posted about Sherri Lynn Wood's #MakeDoQuilt Challenge. Today, I'm sharing my progress. I spent days researching antique red and white quilts from the American Folk Art Museum's book, Red & White Quilts, Infinite Variety. I needed to find a quilt design that was roughly 2/3 white and 1/3 red, determined by the amounts of each fabric I had available. After much deliberation, I decided on the Railroad Quilt (Cups and Saucers Variation). 

Work in progress on the design wall. I like how the feed sack instantly ages this quilt.

Next, I'll sew the border (not shown) and prepare a red binding. Once the border is on, I will have officially used up every bit of the feed sack/white fabric I allowed myself for the challenge. I'm anticipating the finished piece to measure about 30" x 30". 

I'm enjoying every bit of this process, and am learning more about myself as quilter.  I'll continue to post updates. Leave a commentor tell me about your #MakeDoQuilt!

The typographer in me is loving the feed sack fragments! 

My first Annual Labor Day Sale! 

The sale runs from September 1st - 5th, 2016, and all pre-cuts and PDF patterns will be on sale! it's the first time fabrics will be on sale - you don't want to miss out! No codes needed, just visit the online shop and fill your cart with gorgeous fabrics and sweet quilt patterns! Surprise items may be added, so keep an eye on Instagram!