Merry Travels & Good Style To All

*image at left Bulgarian embroidery sampler; image at right courtesy of Filep Motwary

I will be off to the farm in upstate NY early in the morning to see family and tend to the sheep in the fields. Hoping to catch a few snowflakes, eat, drink, be merry, and reflect on all the goodness of 2009. I will then be gearing up to travel to beloved Bulgaria for a few months in order to work on new fiber projects, see dear art friends like Ceca, and perhaps visit the lovely folks at BOA Studio in Istanbul. (Do not miss their new online shop.) Watch out Helene and Eva in Paris and Annouk in Amsterdam ~ 2010 might finally be the year.

Fabulous Winter Solstice

*Daria sports some over-the-top 'Tumbleweed Couture' in Vogue's January 2010 issue (photo by Patrick Demarchelier)

Best of 2009 Holiday Gift Guides

Oeuf: circle garland made in Bolivia out of alpaca


Goodlifer: People Towels made of 100% organic cotton


Nimli: 'Kuo Ting Jewelry' multi-colored vintage chain necklace

TRUNKSHOW: Clare Vivier Foldover Clutch made from remnant leather

Commerce with a Conscience: Rufflentuck wool bow-ties


Inhabitat: Green Baby Toes Terrarium



Alabama Chanin: 'Fat Eighths' - 9"x 20" pieces from their 100% organic cotton fabric supply

Branch: maru plates by WASARA

*My favorite finds for 2009 Holiday Gift Guides. Click the above links to learn more about each item and also peruse other great items on the gift guides featured. *Sustainable Seasons Greetings*

Living on the Fringe Pants by Isobel & Cleo

I SO love these amazing lambswool 'fringe pants' by Isobel & Cleo.


Head-turning and *fashion flurry* fabulous.


The rocking 'shake it up baby' ingredients include:

1 knitter
1 machinist
approx 1 kilo of lambswool knitted into panels for fringe
approx 3.5 meters of Vilene
Irish Linen
Swiss Dot lining
3 weeks assembly
a lot of hand cramping from cutting fringe

*availbable on etsy

Eko-Lab Holiday Event This Weekend

There will be a *fun & festive* eko-sale this weekend at The House of Organic (123 Ludlow Street) featuring original designs by Eko-Lab ladies, Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung, Tara St. James, Renata Mann Jewelry, Dirty Librarian Chains, and eco media pieces by artist and writer, Abigail Doan.

Hours for the openhouse are 1pm-8pm Saturday & Sunday with free crochet lessons offered on-site by the very eko-crafty 'XZ'. Join us for the beauty of sustainability and the cheer of community building ~ all in one cozy, nest-like setting.

Double zipper cuff by Tara St. James

Mixed media panel (detail) with vintage gold thread, laces, shells, beeswax, lace bobbin, and natural fiber (Abigail Doan, 2009)

Dirty Librarian Chains by Susan Domelsmith

ShiboriLove's Hand-Dye Alchemy Chic

ShiboriLove's one-of-a-kind hand-dyed tights and accessories

"The name ShiboriLove comes from 'shibori', the Japanese resist-dyeing technique used to create our unique patterns. Shibori is an art in which flat cloth is manipulated into a three-dimensional surface through folding, pleating or bunching. When the fabric is dyed the tightly bound areas resist the dye and are not colored. When the binding materials are removed they reveal the intricate abstract patterns formed by the protected areas."

- Jessie Fair, ShiboriLove founder and recent graduate of Cornell University's Fiber Science & Apparel Design program

Shibori-dyed fabrics drying in the sunlight

Growth Series (detailed views) by Jessie Fair of ShiboriLove

(wool felt, wool roving, silk organza, and immersion dyeing)



*ShiboriLove by Jessie Fair

Fearless Dreaming at House of Organic NYC

'Fearless Dreaming' collaborative art & sustainable fashion installation at Ekovaruhuset/House of Organic in NYC this past weekend

'Fearless Dreamer', designer Meiling Chen, visits with guests at the weekend's open house (sculpture by Sara Hubbs in foreground)

Fabulous and fearless shoe sculpture by Sara Hubbs

Designer Meiling Chen (in reflection) with her print illustrations and sustainable fashion collection

'Winged' recycled shoe sculpture by Sara Hubbs

Mixed media drawing and fiber installation by Abigail Doan and Meiling Chen

Fiber forms by Abigail Doan and stitch/cloth drawing by Meiling Chen