I just got these in the mail: a dozen GIANT handwoven cotton scarves from Maiwa. Guess what I’m going to do with them 🙂
So Excited!
Tag: linen
Wearing a scarf ALL OF THE TIME!
The air is crisp, and twinkle lights are out all around the city lighting up the dark nights. True winter means you’re wearing a scarf ALL THE TIME! So, why not rock an indigo-dyed infinity scarf! Perfect for keeping the chill off.
All I Want For Christmas Is…..Deep Into Indigo!
Are you wishing that Santa helps you get your Christmas wish of a hot summer weekend of indigo dyeing in 2018, but want to know a little more first?
Here are some FAQs about the retreat:
Q: Can I bring my own fabric to dye?
YES! While the retreat price includes all your materials, including fabric, tools, and access to prepared dye vats, you can bring whatever you want (as long as it’s natural fiber) to prep and dye during the retreat.
Q: Will I learn how to prepare different types of indigo vats?
YES! Jen will demonstrate how to do both natural and synthetic vats.
Q: What is included in the cost of the retreat?
Deep Into Indigo is an all-inclusive retreat. That means you get your lodging, meals (including wine and cocktails), instruction and all indigo dyeing supplies & tools. You can bring your own fabric, but only if you want to.
Sponsor: Quilt Basket n’ Creations
Get to know the Deep Into Indigo Retreat Sponsors!
We have a few and really want to thank them and ask for you to check them out. They are all super awesome and have so much to offer!
We are huge fans of Quilt Basket n’ Creations. It’s local to Viroqua and we hope everyone joining is stops by to shop. We just walked in off the street last year and asked Carol, the owner, to sponsor the retreat and she was super open and welcoming.
QBNC has loads of fabric and notions..I’m a sucker for notions and pick something up every time we stop by.
They have sponsored the Deep Into Indigo Retreat with a bolt of sexy linen-cotton blend. It was the belle of the ball at last year’s retreat.
Sponsor: Botanical Colors
Get to know the Deep Into Indigo Retreat Sponsors!
We have a few and really want to thank them and ask for you to check them out. They are all super awesome and have so much to offer!
I was lucky enough to go out to Seattle to learn from Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors last spring. My luggage never arrived and she was especially nice to me considering I stunk and wore the same clothes for three days straight.
I’ve been aware of her and have shopped from her for years. They carry many different kinds of natural dyes in addition to indigo. Check them out and tell them Jennifer sent you. 🙂
Kathy publishes Feedback Friday on their blog when they answer customer’s questions and also share many tutorials for free on how to use their various dyes.
She’s incredibly generous (both in person and online) with her knowledge and resources. Also with the Deep Into Indigo Retreat, she is sharing chemicals for us to experiment with three different kinds of organic vats! Thank you, Kathy and Botanical Colors. They are awesome!
Sponsor: Lynn’s of Madison
Get to know the Deep Into Indigo Retreat Sponsors!
We have a few and really want to thank them and ask for you to check them out. They are all super awesome and have so much to offer!
The first time I walked in to Lynn’s in Madison WI, I fell in love. It’s like a store made for textile loving, multi media, stitching artists. There’s a fabulous supply of perle cotton, wool, linen and every kind of fancy pants thread you would want, painting supplies, gelli plates, print making stuff, books and many, many things that I’m not thinking of tight now to fuel your creativity. Also, they frame art for you. I just really dig it there.
The people who work there are lovely too. They are sponsoring the Deep Into Indigo Retreat with a tasty bag of threads and beads for us to play with.
Pojagi Tutorial with bonus ironing
I can’t be forever dyeing! Sometimes I like to dig into old news. A nice big pile of linen can be seriously inspiring.
So are these gorgeous pojagi. Not really quilts, though pieced like one, a pojagi is a Korean wrapping cloth. I was suddenly struck with how ugly the curtain on the door to the garage was. It’s been there as long as we’ve owned the house and has always escaped my notice. It’s a perfect storm! Drop everything and MAKE STUFF!!
Notice the aluminum square to the left of the pile. I cut it up with scissors every now and then to sharpen the blades. It worked for a short time and was helpful because my scissors are overdue for a sharpening. But I digress – Check out those orange pants.
They were at my local thrift shop and I had to have them. They were 100% linen, Ralph Lauren and PINK. I thought I could dye them brown but stupidly picked up the terra cotta dye (WHY?) and they went horribly orange and – even if I had grabbed brown – fatally splotchy. I put them into storage for years.
This is one of the first dye jobs I ever did. Now I know how to pre-treat fabric so it dyes evenly. But – AND THIS IS IMPORTANT – you have to do stuff wrong first before you do it right to really learn…climbing off soap box… Also, easy come, easy go. I can always cut things up and make them into something else.
So, I cut up several linen pieces (5 pairs pants, 1 red dress, 1 white shirt, 1 orange top) and ironed the bejeebers out of them…so satisfying to get rid of those bejeebers. I then cut them into smaller squares without giving it too much thought. I wanted random sizes for a crazy quilt look.
Here’s a quick tute on how to make an enclosed seam:
One of the many cool things about pojagi‘s is that they have no wrong side. I think this kind of seam is called a flat felled seam but feel free to correct me. I layered the square on top about 1/2 inch lower than the edge of the bottom square.
I sewed the seam down at about 1/4 down from the edge of the top square.
There is a whole lot of ironing involved with this process but linen is happy to be ironed. I ironed the overlap from the bottom square into the seam allowance.
Like so.
Then I sewed along the ironed under edge and voila! A completely enclosed seam. For consistency’s sake, I call this the wrong side
Here’s the right side. Time to iron it again to give it a clean look. I’m not gonna lie, I get a lot of satisfaction from ironing linen…I love you, linen. Sorry, that should have been private. Anyhoo, I actually messed that up once or twice so I have some wrong side seams on my right side and vice versa but it’s a very forgiving process. I made several panels and then sewed all those together using the same seam. It was time consuming but I love the result:
Tada! The Final Curtain. I rushed the end – it was dinner time – so the top is messy. I should, and one day may, redo it but I’m just going to leave it for now. It makes me happy.
Here’s one of the other cool things about pojagi, because they are not quilted – they don’t have to be because the seams are totally enclosed – they are as sheer as the fabric used and look amazing with the light behind them. Perfect for curtains in a place where privacy isn’t important. I have the best view from inside my garage.
Since that view just isn’t observed by everyone, I plan on making another for the kitchen window that looks out to the yard.
I feel like the colors have a fun ’70’s vibe. I like being able to follow my nose and make things in an intuitive way. It’s a great project for people who don’t need a plan to follow. But, I’m sure planners could make a nice tidy pojagi, if that’s what they’re into.
Have fun with it. I plan on making a totally indigo dyed version after November, when my month of craft sales is over. Happy sewing…and linen ironing…mmmm..happy…
Find my adventures and lots of fun pictures at Facebook.com/jenniferdyes. Thanks for stopping
Pillow Talk!
Look, I made a pillow:
I’ve cut out several more and just need to throw them together. Ha.
TBT – Before the blue took over.
I made this a few years ago. It’s inspired by Korean pogaji wrapping clothes. Which are hand stitched out of scraps of fabric. Mine isn’t hand stitched. 
I used french seams to stitch together linen that I took from thrifted clothes. You can see my first ever attempt at dyeing in that blotchy orange. Then I made into a curtain.
It’s on my garage door, which I see now is very dusty. I remember making it as a super enjoyable experience. I LOVE ironing linen almost as much as it loves being ironed. You need super high heat and a very steamy iron. It’s extremely satisfying.
I plan on re-making it in shades of blue. I have another naked window in my kitchen that needs one, too. They’re on my “to do one day when I have nothing better to do” list.
Then I took a macro picture –
because I love macro pictures – which distracted me mightily. So I’ll just post some of the pictures I then took with my macro lens on:
I hate to stay too on topic. Now you can see why I never get to that that to do list.
Like WOAH!
I’ve been slammin’ busy like, woah! Run run run! But in a good way. I’m not complaining.
I’ve had a couple of awesomely fun classes at Paradigm Gardens. They’ve been full of creative and inspiring people.
They were Mother’s Day classes, though all kinds of interesting people came and not all brought their moms.
![IMG_6370[1]](https://www.jenniferfalkowski.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_63701-1-e1462203761685.jpg)
The classes were like parties.
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.
Right in the middle of the classes I had an opening for MMOCA’s gallery night at the Monona Library.
All in all, it was a stone cold blast!!!!
I love being this busy!
