walnut basket

I couldn't wait for the weekend to sew up some of the walnut dyed rope!  When I woke me up far too early this morning (darn kitties!), I used it as an opportunity to run down to my studio. Can't wait for the weekend to spend some more time stitching. As much as I adore indigo and enjoy turmeric- the subtler shades of black walnut suit me best. Kind of in love!

 There's still a few spots in my rope basket class next week at Craftstitute. So excited to spend the evening teaching how to create my favorite vessels. Sign up here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

rope baskets at craftstitute

 At Craftstitute  on 10/21 at  6:30-9PM

Yes, it's on! I'm teaching at the end of next month. What a great opportunity to learn how to make the best holiday gift ever… if I do say so myself!

Register here.

baskets, blues and birthdays

Just a quick hello and warm welcome to anyone visiting from Amanda's today. If you've caught the rope stitching bug… rest assured that the contagion only leads to happy making and grateful receiving of beautiful baskets. I thought I'd leave a few links here to remind you of previous posts and to give you some inspiration:

here

here

here

 I'll be teaching a new rope basket workshop at Craftstitute at the end of October. Stay tuned for the exact date and time!

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I'm currently up to my ears in chocolate frosting and blues that aren't just made from indigo but the kind of weepy mama emotions that come from watching our children grow. Today my first born turns seventeen and it's brought all kinds of feelings to the surface. Luckily our favorite deep dark chocolate cake will soon soothe my tender heart!

taproot::folk

 

 This morning I sat down and poured through the latest pages of Taproot. It's filled with so many beautiful and fascinating articles. Get an idea of the wide range right here. What a thrill to have my rope baskets featured in this FOLK issue! I offer instructions for both sewing and dyeing them. And after a basket hiatus over the summer, I'm so excited to return to making more for fall harvesting and early holiday making.

After I fill a couple of baskets with apples, you can bet I'll be trying out this Salted Caramel Apple Pie!!

 There were no shortage of captivating stories, but I was especially excited to read about Blue Man, the indigo dyer.

And how to host girls a empowerment retreat is dog-eared!

 Leave it to Amanda and Taproot to gather together a volume of thoughtful, intelligent and timely reading for all of us. Taproot Magazine is independently published and ad-free. You can subscribe or get this issue right here.

flowers… and baskets, of course!

Hello friends! Days have slipped by as I've been immersed in end of the year activities with my children. Summer vacation has finally begun, and my view (above) from over the kitchen sink gives you some idea of the lushness that envelopes us at the end of June. I love it! The wildflowers are early and abundant this year… 

My perennials are quite happy too!

So- I'm filling the house with bouquets! Probably my favorite thing about summer is gathering flowers. Maybe even more than all the fresh veggies and fruit. Which is saying a lot.

In between shuttling children and clapping hard for all of their achievements- I've been savoring some awesome sunsets...

And sewing. Of course…

more

baskets!

These natural ones are my favorites. I say that about all of them, I know. But really. It's true. I'm also working on a very cool rope basket project just for all of you... hope to share it in a week or two. Part of it includes coming up with new shapes… and how cool are these squares?!

I've just listed the three naturals below in my shop… you can find them here.

This bucket design was one of the first to sell out at Squam… need to make more. Something very lovely about the handle being part of the same single length of rope used for the entire vessel. I'm thinking it would be perfect for holding so many things, but especially yarn or wooden toys.

It's available here.

Have a super summery weekend!

baskets and skirts

Happy Monday friends! It's the last full week of school around here and I'm hustling to make the most of it in my studio. Summer is definitely upon us and there's been swimming, horseback riding and ice cream cone eating aplenty… but I haven't slowed down my sewing machine. There are baskets listed for the first time in my shop!  They are each naturally dyed in summer hues of water and sunshine. I've also listed some feathered indigo pouches. YES!  Go take a peek right here.

On Saturday I taught some lovely ladies how to refashion a t-shirt into a skirt at Craftstitute. I'm in love with their studio space… Clear, clean and flooded with natural light from gorgeous windows everywhere. 

We're talking about another rope basket class, so I'll keep you posted. Ithaca is a fabulous weekend destination this time of year!

Have a great start to your week!

squam- with her!

What a special weekend with my sweet girl! Seeing Squam through the eyes of a 10 year old was awesome! She's a phenomenal traveling partner and quite the little social butterfly! Oh my, did she LOVE being surrounded by doting creatives by the lake. We spent the day walking my favorite paths, docking hopping alone and with friends, and exploring favorite classrooms.

Then it was time to set up… and get ready for the wonderful women waiting in the woods. Apparently, they were excited for rope baskets (among other things!).

Lots and lots of baskets went to new homes! The fair was fast and fun and filled with some of my favorite people!  Only had time for a few shots… but these three are golden.

em falconbridge

cal patch

cinnamon

And now… guess what I'm doing? Sewing more baskets! So many requests- the best kind of problem ever! They should start appearing in my shop today and tomorrow… I'll just keep listing them as they come off the machine.

more!

More baskets! More joy! More fun! I can't stop… just trying to document them all for future making and to record their beauty. There are still others that didn't make it into this shot. I have a bunch of solids- blues, golds, and cream! So good. These will go to Squam, but any leftovers and a whole new crop will be filling my shop mid June. Happy Monday!

the color of bliss

 I am not usually drawn to working with a lot of colors. Although my palette has consisted of white and neutral for so long, there has always been a place for blue. In dabbling with indigo dye, I've discovered how touching, rinsing, hanging, winding, folding, stitching with blue is extremely soothing. There is a sense of serenity and bliss while working each day with the color of the sky and water in my hands. Yes. The color of sky and water in my hands. I wonder if that feeling can be felt through this screen, because I want to offer it everyone… not keep it for myself.

 I will be bringing these blue bliss bowls to the Squam Art Fair, but will be making more for my shop this summer. I can't stop making them. I love the striping- the color blocking surprises that happen along the way. It makes each one feel like magic… as if they have a spirit of their own, and I am just guiding the rope through the machine. Isn't that so cool?!

 Look at how captivating the interiors are! I know I sound a bit crazy in love with my own making. I kind of am! And how can that not be a wonderful thing?!

 Below is a bowl containing the rope that I double dyed this week for a richer blue. It's subtly different, and I love both shades equally. Luckily, I made sure to double dye hundreds and hundreds of feet in this shade, just in case it was a good one..

  And while I was at it, I wound and folded, twisted and rubber banded all of my white linen to throw into my dye vat. I've got plans!

weekend blues

What a beautiful weekend it was! The only blues were in my dye bucket. Indigo is one of the oldest dyes used in history for textiles and printing. It was high time I gave it a try. I used a very simple method as a test to see if it was something worth pursuing. Oh yes! This kit from Dharma Trading Co. was so accessible and fun… as a bonus the dye vat lasts for a while.  So- I got more rope! 

 The relationship indigo has with oxygen was the most fascinating part… the dye bath is actually green.

 It's only after it the rope/fabric tastes the air that it begins transforming to blue. It gets oxidized!

 Watch what happened with this cotton fabric over 10 minutes… so cool!

 Rope was my main ingredient. Cotton clothesline for spiral sewing of beautiful, blue bowls and baskets for summer. One dip gave me a very dark rich shade….

  But upon rinsing- it transformed to something softer and deliciously peaceful. And after drying… it has taken on its own shade of sky blue that can be seen in my instagram shots over in the right side column.

 Something so silly and satisfying about draping the clothesline over my clothesline to dry!

 Can't wait to share my upcoming indigo adventures with some double dipping for darker shades and, of course, the meeting with my sewing machine!