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 We've been working like the busiest of bees to bring you the good stuff, and what a lot we have! First of all, check out our newly-renamed High-End Printed Fabrics category, which we're slowly populating with a whole bouquet of different, fascinating choices. Created by upscale designers on a variety of materials, these are the fabrics you'll want to reach for when you have a really special project in mind. I added seven organic hemp linens (GOTS-certified through ECOCERT) yesterday, in a variety of designs, and there are quite a few more coming over the upcoming weeks -- hemp linen, regular linen, organic cotton, and more, in all sorts of different prints.
Next, a breakthrough I've been awaiting for quite a while: organic washable wool jersey and interlock. These are amazingly soft fabrics that I just don't want to stop touching, and the ability to machine-wash them makes me so very happy! The Featherweight Washable Black Wool Jersey is so incredibly light and thin that it should be illegal (okay, maybe not, but I'm continually amazed by what truly talented fabric producers can create!), and the Mediumweight has so many applications that I want to get started sewing now instead of writing this blog entry... The interlock, an absolutely glorious fabric, is available in both before-the-storm grey and black. Simply stunning fabrics -- don't miss them.
 After far too long of a hiatus, we're thrilled to finally have Tickled Pink back in stock. This splendidly enjoyable print of scampering ladybugs was incredibly popular when we carried it last, and we're pleased to be the only source for the fabric. Get it while it lasts -- this is a good one!
We've also added a really nice Hemp/Organic Cotton Twill. Natural in color, so your imagination can flow while working with this classic fabric. And if you do use my pillow idea -- and I so hope somebody will -- please share the results. I'd love to see pictures!
 I wanted to call your attention to these very fun new interlocks, which we just added: green vine, brown vine (and the matching solid brown), and pink lotus flower and the matching solid pink interlock. You can see some of the baby and kids' clothes that've been made using these fabrics at the Kiwi Industries website if you're in need of inspiration, though we're coming up with all sorts of adult-themed ideas around here as well!
We've also completely changed out our sale items, of course -- it's that time of the month, after all, and you'll want to see what kind of mood we're in. (Hint: it's a very good one, if the savings are anything to go by! We've even added one of the new printed interlocks to the yard sale...)
And my birthday's mere days from now (as I shamelessly keep reminding everyone around me). Feel free to send me best wishes, beautiful handmade presents, tasty organic chocolates, or anything similarly wonderful. My youngest son's birthday is nine days after mine, and he wants to go camping; I'm trying to get Winnie to pack it all up and come with us for a long weekend. Don't you think she deserves a break?
First of all, we've changed out the Yard Sale, so do look at the new goodies there. There are some new fabrics added to the site just yesterday, some golden oldies, and some amazing prices -- definitely worth the click!
And secondly, I've fallen in love with this wonderful outfit made by Laura Cromartie, one of our customers and a recent fashion grad. Laura describes her creation as:
 The pants/jeans were the indigo tencel/hemp twill. [Tara's note: we don't currently have indigo, but we do offer black, natural, and olive hemp/tencel twills. They're marvelous fabrics!] I also used the buffalo nickel buttons for the button. There is also a vest beneath the jacket using the twill and the buttons. It was cool, and a pity the model never took off the overcoat.
The over coat is made out of black organic french terry! The buttons are the 1-inch polished coconut buttons, and I sewed the coat with organic black thread.
This ensemble was the menswear assignment in my program. I consulted with my partner (my daughter's dad) about stuff he liked/wanted, and we were inspired by these cowboy style coats with the long separating tails in the back (to accomodate the horse or maybe a bike).
I LOVED working with these fabrics. They feel so good. I went back to school to learn fashion design so that I could encourage the world's move to organic fabrics. The peril of the planet has rested heavily on my shoulders since I was too young. I know of the pesticides used conventionally; it seems so easy, logical to just move to organic to stop the destruction. So, I plan to do what I can. I'm starting with organic kid's clothes on etsy. I hope to become a legal business soon.
The program I did is at Marymount University in Arlington, VA, a small school with a view of Washington, DC. The fashion department is small but empowered! The annual fashion show, Portfolio in Motion, draws the interest of fashionable people from the Metro DC area yearly.
I want that coat. It's absolutely gorgeous, completely functional (and for someone who lives out in the country that's important!), and so sustainable. I want Laura to make adult clothes -- kids get all the good stuff! Keep an eye out for Laura's creations on etsy, or send her an email with your congratulations, questions, or requests for commissions. (I made that last bit up -- I have no idea if she accepts commissions. But she should, because don't you think everybody needs a coat like that?)
I just spent a week caring for my aunt after hip replacement surgery, and was reminded anew how important handsewn and handcreated gifts can be for people who are in less than perfect health. Much of my goal -- when I wasn't helping her stand up or sit down again -- was to find ways to help my aunt be both more comfortable and more independent when I left, since she won't be able to drive or go anywhere for a month. So I spent time doing things like:
- Fashioning simple bags for her walker, to carry her cell phone and water bottle.
- Creating a mattress pad for her bed, to cushion her whole body but especially her hip -- so important when there's limited movement and you don't want bedsores! (I know I've said it before, but our Luxurious Wool Pile is perfect for mattress pads, and doubled or tripled up it makes splendid malleable padding to help get just the right level of comfort.)
- Making simple nightgowns that are comfortable to wear, decent when sitting, in bed, or participating in physical therapy, and don't get caught up in the walker when she's moving around. (The Subtle Pointelle is really nice for knit nightgowns, and the Natural Brushed Wide-Width Sheeting for woven ones.)
- Sewing simple rice packs that can be either microwaved for spot heat or chilled for temporary cooling. (When making longer/bigger pads, it's nice to make them segmented so all the rice doesn't fall to the bottom. That's the concept behind a baffled featherbed, and it works here too.)
I also had far too much fun with sticky-backed velcro, which is not at all organic but is incredibly useful for people with limited mobility -- with a nice wide strip of velcro on one edge of her chair-side table and pieces on her cell phone charger, flashlight, grabber, and other necessaries, my aunt is much less likely to drop things and have to laboriously attempt to pick them up again. (And, knowing me, you won't be surprised to hear that I cooked -- my aunt's freezer was nicely filled before I left, so she can bring out organic meals whenever she's hurting too much to cook for herself. I wish I could have stayed longer, but my family pretended to want me back so who was I to argue?)
My aunt, of course, is incredibly fortunate -- she'll be up and around soon and should be all the better for this eventually. Not everyone is so lucky, though, and this was borne home to me on Tuesday when I went to visit a family friend who is struggling with cancer. For people in her position sometimes being surrounded with comfort and love is of utmost importance (as I suppose it is for all of us, but it's even more important as we're facing the final transition). I find myself in a position where I don't quite know what to do to show my love, my appreciation of her role in my life, and I fall back again on creating things. My ideas?
- When cooking for sick people and their caregivers, the best book I've ever found bar none is Laurel's Kitchen Caring. It's full of nutritious recipes designed to tempt even the most feeble appetite, including many broths and clear liquids that can sometimes be all that people can swallow.
- Although the bigger rice bags can be too heavy for people who are weak, smaller handwarmers are sometimes still appreciated -- especially if there are caregivers who will warm them up for someone who is bedridden.
- Beautiful things and comfortable textures are both very valued at times like this, when they can fall by the wayside.
- If someone is very sick in the height of summer, consider the indulgence of a wrap of Amity Peace Silk which is so light and gorgeous but yet will help maintain modesty and provide the perfect amount of modesty.
- If the person is likely to be chilled, consider making a simple quilt (like this, or one of the projects from Meryl Ann Butler's book) out of fleeces or other soft fabrics to quite literally wrap them in your love.
- If you have an organic garden (and the person you're visiting isn't allergic), bring some long-lasting flowers or an arrangement of greens -- it seems obvious, but isn't necessarily. Organic only, though, if the person is at all sensitive; my aunt reacted really badly to a conventional bouquet that we had to ask the nurses to remove from her room but was absolutely fine with a similar arrangement from Organic Bouquet. (And notice, please, that I'm not even discussing the environmental, social, etc, aspects of non-organic flowers; can you believe it? Neither can I!)
 Many wonderful, wonderful people sew, knit, and crochet for charity -- making things for people who they'll never see but who will benefit immeasurably from their hard work. We benefited from that when my firstborn son was in the hospital for so long ... he was the recipient of a hat, booties, and a blanket that people made for babies in the NICU. He was such a tiny, scary-looking baby, with wires and tubes sticking out all over, and seeing him in clothes made such a difference -- it made him look like a real baby. Almost more important than that was the knowledge that people we didn't even know cared enough to make these items for my baby, that they were made with love, compassion, and best wishes. That hat, booties, and blanket meant so much more than any commercially-made clothes ever could have, and I still have them today. (The picture, in case you couldn't guess, is of Neil when he was only a few days old. Notice how my finger's bigger than his arm? Winnie wants me to mention that he's 10 now, and just had his Suzuki Violin Book 4 recital last weekend. His arms are stronger now. Bigger, too.)
I was lucky enough to talk with a woman who makes blankets for NICU babies about a year ago. She was denigrating her work, saying it was a way to pass the time and probably wasn't that important, and I was able to tell her how much it meant to those of us whose babies benefitted from the work of people just like her.
It's not just NICU babies, of course -- Project Linus provides blankets for children in need (and the Miss Hailey's Baby Quilt Pattern was designed to benefit Project Linus and to be a good introduction to quilting). ChemoCaps and Head Huggers focus on making hats for chemo patients who've lost their hair (and The Daily Knitter has a partial list of other charity options for knitters). Ugly Quilts are marvelous, easy-to-make sleeping bags for the homeless, and a perfect project for any group to which you might belong (friends, dinner groups, moms or dads groups, church groups, SCA folks, etc). Mama to Mama's goal is "connecting families through homemade action"; their first project was making blankets and caps for babies in Haiti, and I'm looking forward to seeing what their next focus will be.
And, of course, I firmly believe in the curative power of crafting with sustainable materials. Or at least in the "first do no harm" theory thereof. But when combining the love, care, and positive intent of a handmade item with the best, safest materials, I feel like I'm doing as much as I can in this area.
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