The Grandmacore Trend: Rediscovering Timeless Activities for Mental Health and Joy Growing up, my grandma and mom taught me hands-on activities like sewing and quilting—skills that connected me to simpler times and nurtured my mental health. Those quiet moments gave me a lifelong love for creative hobbies and traditional crafts, and they shaped how I…
Learn How to Make Tassels out of Handspun Yarn We hand spinners and fiber farmers have a very niche market, and it can be difficult to make a profit with our beautiful yarn, especially if we don’t live in an area where fiber art is popular. There are many ways to diversify your income and…
Sewing with handwoven wool fabric can be tricky. The fabric may have a tendency to stretch, distort, and unravel as it is handled. I’ve got a few tricks to share that will help prevent this. The rewards for sewing with handwoven fabric are many! I recently had the pleasure of making a flat cap for…
Remembering My Ancestors Tomorrow is Halloween, and November 1-2 is the Day of the Dead. In many traditions, this time of year is when we remember our ancestors. It’s specially marked as a time when the veil between our world and the spirit world is thin. Although my family has never formally celebrated this time…
Watch me blend some batts on my drum carder My next live fiber sale is in just a few days! I’ve been busy making all sorts of batts. Today I made a few Halloween themed batts, all naturally dyed of course. I’ve got these amazing Corriedale fleeces that I’ve been scouring and dyeing over the…
Vending at festivals and craft shows is a lot of work, but also very fun. It’s a great way to connect with customers in person. I have vended at dozens of festivals over the years. Check out this recent vlog where I share a few thoughts about two local festivals: The Northeast Louisiana Celtic Festival,…
Making a Vat with Homegrown Indigo Dye This week, I made an organic indigo vat with indigo powder I’d grown myself. I’ve been dyeing with indigo for nearly ten years. No matter which method you use, the process is utterly enchanting. Spellbinding. It really feels like magic. For many years I have made my vats…
I’m in the thick of creating products to sell for my next virtual live sale. I’m a vendor at WAFA (Wool and Fiber Arts.) If you’re looking for a community of fiber artists who are supportive and kind, and especially if you are interested in gorgeous fibers grown by small farms, you have to check…
Natural dyeing with acorns and walnuts produces lovely tans, browns, grays, and blacks. Join me as I take you through the process. My property is filled with oak trees, so acorns are not hard for me to find. They are one of the first natural dyes I learned to extract. Walnuts produce a very similar…
This week I enjoyed dyeing with weld! Weld, also known as Dyer’s Rocket, is an ancient dye used for millennia to dye fibers and cloth to vibrant yellow shades. It is known to have been used as early as Roman times, and was used extensively throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Since yellow is a…