shop small

small business saturday SALE is going on in my Etsy shop – through Sunday night at midnight. 

~ use coupon code SHOPSMALL for 25% off all orders over $10 ~

& thank you to everyone for supporting small businesses!

treasures

necklaces in my shop made with old beads, bells, amulets, and pendants from India, Nigeria, Italy, Thailand, Indonesia, Ethiopia, France, Myanmar and North Africa.

brimfield

Another year of Brimfield came to a close yesterday and I must say, after three years of being a Brimfield dealer and shopper, I really do leave that little town with a heavy heart. It's not just the experience of selling our wares and meeting customers – it's the fellow dealers and their dogs, spending time with my Mom and my sister Zoe (who comes for every show), drinks at the end of a physically exhausting day, quiet early mornings among the tents, and stories – lots of stories. I found some beautiful things that I'll be listing in my Etsy shop in the coming weeks and above are a few beauties that I left behind ... along with sweet Greta, who stole everyone's heart.

cutch & sandalwood

I naturally dyed scarves last week with Cutch and Sandalwood. The colors are dreamy – neutral mocha brown and the palest blush pink. Both Cutch and Sandalwood are trees native to Asia. The dye stuff comes from the heartwood of these trees. I'm really enjoying the process of naturally dyeing fabric. It's slow and satisfying. Planning to do a bit more in the Fall months ahead. In the mean time, these cotton gauze scarves are in my SHOP. They're screen printed in antique gold with my 'Meditation' pattern – a repeating seated Buddha – randomly arranged along the length of the scarf.

pillows

I decided to use some of my vintage textiles to make pillow covers. My first collection is made from a French linen sheet dating to the early 1900s and pieces of a Thai batik tribal garment from the 1960s – they were meant to be together.

In my SHOP now.

vintage textiles

vintage textiles newly added to my SHOP this week. each one lovelier than the last . . .

squam art workshops

Many of you may know that I was recently at Squam Art Workshops for their Spring Art Fair and that I fell in LOVE with everything about the place. It was a magical evening among the trees, on a beautiful lake, with the kindest and most creative people. Sounds pretty much like heaven, right? If you follow Squam (and you should!) you've seen a gorgeous, ethereal, woven heart filled with twinkling white lights in many of their photos. Well, that heart was made by the extraordinary Harriet Goodall. Harriet is a sculptural basket maker and she led a workshop at Squam last year called, Gift of the Heart, where she shared her process and taught how to make the exquisite heart shape sculpture. Here's the most exciting part – Squam is offering Harriet's workshop online this summer through August 31st ! That means that from anywhere in the world, at any time of day or night, you can experience the magic of Squam. 

All the info you need to join the class is detailed in this link: 

Gift of the HEART Workshop with Harriet Goodall

HUGE thanks to Elizabeth, Squam's magnificent leader, for being a torchbearer in the handmade community – nurturing endless opportunities of connection, learning, and creative goodness. 

Happy Summer and Joyful Weaving! I'll 'see' you in class . . .

(...below are a few more of my favorite moments from my weekend at Squam Lake)

libby

I thought I'd share one of the songs that I've been listening to quite a bit lately. It seemed to be a sweet match for these photos of Libby. She's a 'Peg O' My Heart' bisque doll, made by the K & H company in Santa Clara, Calif in the 1940s. I found her last week while searching for vintage textiles for my shop and I just can't bear to part with her.

the song is: We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra & Mildred Bailey, 1932.

a torn pocket

On one of my recent vintage rummaging days, I came across an apron from the 1940s. It was made from a red and white apple print textile that had clearly been worn a lot in its first life. It was more colorful and whimsical than my usual preference but I ended up buying it because there was something about it that I really liked. As with all old things, it had a story. One of the threads of its story was a torn pocket, and to me this made the tiny cotton apron special. For days after bringing it home, I kept thinking of this torn pocket and the feelings it generated. Peacefulness, curiosity, sentimentality... and a knowing sense that something ‘flawed’ is perfect in its imperfection. As I get older, I’m attracted to people and things that are comfortable and curious with their inner conflicts, transparent in their messiness and sometimes even celebratory of it. When I designed my new line of aprons, I kept this in mind. The hemp textile I used has incredible texture, inconsistencies and character.  I tried to preserve these traits, as best I could, by leaving raw edges that show the distress of the weaving and garment dyeing the aprons to encourage variations of shade on the stitching and folds. I guess this is kind of a long way of expressing how happy I am for small moments in life that influence my creative work.

To read & see more about my new hemp aprons, please visit my online SHOP 

smalls

vintage smalls added to my  SHOP today . . . the fruits of my favorite new weekend pastime.

textiles inspiring textiles

Three new prints are in my shop for Spring. A bit early, I know, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. This latest collection is inspired by old textiles which is not surprising since I find myself happily surrounded by them. If you’ve met me at a market or show in the past couple of years, chances are you’ve met my frequent boothmate, Angela, who also happens to be my amazing Mom. She and her sister travel to the most beautiful places and sell the very special antique textiles and artifacts that they find. Their new(ish) company is called Rare Cloth and it’s a source of constant inspiration for my work.

We’ll be together at some upcoming spring shows- including Brimfield Antique Market in May. 

Stay tuned, more news to come!