Magnificent Earth Day Giveaway!

I’ve got an added spring in my step because April is Earth Month (which originally began as Earth Day), and it also marks the beginning of my dye season!

A Magnificent Bundle containing Essex yarn dyed linen, Brussels linen, vintage feedsack, organic cotton sateen and naturally dyed silk, plus 5 yards of hand dyed variegated silk-cotton floss!

To kick things off, I’m having a gorgeous giveaway for two lucky winners! Freshly curated, “Magnificent Bundles” are now in the shop (have a look here). You can win a bundle for yourself and one for a friend! Click here for giveaway details. All of the bundles contain sumptuous linens, naturally dyed sateens and hand dyed linen or silk-cotton flosses. Some bundles include my hand dyed silk.

I have such fun curating these bundles for your enjoyment! Those of us who love hand stitching appreciate an ample piece of linen. Every “Magnificent Bundle” is chock full of delicious, quality fabrics and they’re all just waiting for you and your needles!

Have a look at these new bundles in the shop here. Each bundle is unique, and once they’re gone, they’re gone! Have a question? Kindly use the submission form on the contact page.

The “Magnificent Bundle” in the top photo contains linen, hand dyed silk and organic cotton sateen charm pack, plus 5 yards of variegated naturally dyed silk-cotton floss. Most of the bundles are wrapped with one yard of rare, vintage French ribbon from Marcia’s basement at Tinsel Trading!

More good news?! Newsletter subscribers receive a limited time 10% discount shop wide! New subscribers will be emailed the discount code. Offer good through midnight Tuesday the 23rd.

These days, having a few pre-portioned soups and casseroles in the freezer is a convenience I depend on. At the end of a busy day, reaching for a delicious and nourishing meal is very satisfying. This Chicken Pot Pie Soup is one of my recent favorites, and I skip the pie crust “crackers”. I’d love to hear your favorite freezer-ready meal in the comments below!

As always, you can follow all the action with our new kitty, Franklin, plus close ups of studio life on Instagram. Say hello!

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