New Ways to Show Up

It's a cosmic new year as of last Sunday, and I've been spending a bit of my moments self-reflecting and determining more accurately how I want to present myself/my business. I'm leaning towards just using my name as opposed to The Selvage Edge but then I feel I must decide who is that person and what is her business?

That question has led me to trolling the internet and finding some amazing female textile artists. That venture has made me realize that my excavation process has barely begun. Here's a link to the latest find that has me re-contemplating my next "business" move. India Flint is the artist's name. Check her out.

I discovered Natalie Channin a few days ago. Her business name is Alabama Channin, and her work leaves me breathless. I highly recommend seeing her videos to get a real grasp on the slow stitching process in her clothing.

And then there's Anny Schoo. I've fallen in love with the feel and drape of linen, and Ms. Schoo has been quite an inspiration. (I also recently discovered that she's a resident of my old stomping grounds.)

I look at their websites and online stores and become tongue-tied in awe. India Flint uses scant words to say so much. I feel drawn into her world with her sentiments. Natalie Channin's detailed hand stitching makes me slow down and contemplate how I want to sew. Anny Schoo shows me the beauty in simplicity. I love what these women have offered to the world. I'm mesmerized by how they're doing it. It's lovely having these examples to light a new way for me to ponder.

How do I take what I love about each one of them and wrap it into a parcel that fits me? Do I stick with Jill Luigs and adjust that site to fit me better? What would that look like?

There would have to be something about Maruca fabrics and what I do with them.

Then there's French General fabrics I love to sew.

I love having a zero waste design studio and use my scraps for pillow making.

I can't neglect the amazing zippered pocket travel scarves.

or the tunics made from friends' fabrics

aw... Shibori Indigo dyeing on linen

white linen tunics after their shibori indigo experience

I look at pictures of my earlier work and find that it no longer resonates with me at all. The above photos represent what I've done in the last few months, and as you can see it's diverse. I like different experiences and experiments. I admire those who can pick one thing and expound on it. My one thing is sewing fabric. Well, and then there's dyeing the fabric/garments... Maybe I'm trying to limit something that's not meant to be limited. I hear about branding your business. My business and me are inseparable, and I'm not sure I can be branded other than eclectic, whimsical, fun-loving, playful, and... Maybe I'm trying to limit the limitless. To be continued for sure.

Maruca Time

Years ago when I lived near Boulder, Colorado I went to this manufacturing plant there that made purses. These purses were made from designer fabrics that knocked my socks off. I had bins filled with these fabrics when I left Boulder County and moved to Steamboat Springs. By 2010 and living in McKinney, Texas, I used up my very last scrap.

This manufacturer where I bought their scraps made purses from the fabrics they designed. The business is called Maruca. I've bought several of their purses over the years, but have always lusted over their fabrics. And then I began accumulating the scraps from their designs. I filled bins with the remnants. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I would open the bins and sort the scraps. I was in love with the textures, the colors, and the designs. And then I used my last scrap, my very last Maruca particle was sewn into a yoga bag that I had made in the summer of 2010. My life with Maruca was over. Or so I thought until I landed back in Boulder last month with a friend who had bags of Maruca scraps. Oh. My. God. My breathing has yet to go back to normal. I have them spread out in piles on my floor.

I don't pick them up -- ever. I've been sewing with them for days now, doing very little else. I'm not sure how many bags I've made this week, but I've sold almost all my inventory and have had to restock. Here's a few pictures of the latest batches.

I haven't done too much else but sew. I've been watching Christmas movies on Netflix while combining fabrics on the floor, sewing them together, adding zippers, lining, and letting their magic shine through. I am still in love with the fabrics and how the bags have turned out. It's one of the first things I'll do in the morning is go back upstairs where the scraps are laid out, and begin again. I can feel another trip back to Boulder in my future.

It was a French General kind of day.

Today I sewed. I sat on the wooden floor and cut out flowers and leaves. I made journal covers and zipper bags out of several different fabrics, but mostly French General fabrics. They belong to the homeowner where I live. She grew up with the owner of French General. I got to meet her last August while taking her Shibori Indigo dyeing class.

Tunics I made and then Shibori Indigo dyed them. Check them out in my shop.

 Her name is Kaari Meng. She also wrote the book in the picture below.

Her fabrics are the striped cotton and solid colored linen. Those are covers for book journals that I've been working on for the last couple of days.

The flowered fabrics are not from French General, but I loved how well they worked together.




Then off I went to make the zipper bags. The main reason I made the zipper bags instead of cleaning up the space and starting on other orders was because I loved the look of the fabrics together splayed out on the floor. I had to keep working with them instead of folding them and piling them into bins. I just couldn't do it -- not yet. So, here are the zipper bags.

All French General fabrics. Perfect way to create my day.