micro and macro thinking...

On our road trip to Detroit and Cleveland a few weeks ago, Batman and I listened to an audio book called The Indigo Girl, by Natasha Boyd. Historical fiction, it tells the story of Eliza Lucas, a 16 year old girl, who in 1739 was thrown into the midst of great responsibility and challenge. Perhaps even more fascinating than the story, were the author's notes at the end, describing the true life account of this remarkable woman. Eliza Lucas Pinckney became a woman of great distinction in the history of South Carolina. I recommend it as a wonderful read (or listen).

And, yes, indigo is one of the main characters. :-)

MICRO:I've been puttering with some ideas of what to do with my 63rd year. I've been brainstorming about items I might craft, sourced from our "bit of earth" here in central Vermont. These balsam sachets, stitched with some of my own indigo dyed linen are easy to make, it's the prep work that takes patience. The balsam boughs need to be harvested, and left in a sunny and dry place to cure. Then the needles need to be stripped from the branches (with gloves on!). The indigo seedlings need to be purchased, planted, tended and then harvested. Then there's "dye day", which turned out to be a disappointing flop last year (yes, I know, I never wrote about it because it broke my heart). Once all of that is done, cutting out the squares, stitching them and filling them with balsam needles seems like child's play.

MACRO:This week is Fashion Revolution Week, marking the 5th anniversary of the factory collapse at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, which killed 1,138 garment workers. From the website, "we encourage millions of people to ask brands #whomademyclothes and demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain." It's been eye opening to see so many wonderful posts over on Instagram, bringing attention to how we source our clothing and the fabric and yarns we buy as crafters. Local, sustainably sourced and fairly priced items invite us to consider multiple bottoms lines. Fair compensation and decent working conditions for those who stitch our factory made clothes are also part of the story. 

There are many ways to take action, follow the link above to find what might work for you. 

With appreciation and gratitude.

xo

tula tuesday::week 16

 block # 100 from tula pink's City Sampler.

stitched with some carolyn friedlander scraps from this project

and a few more charlie harper scraps.

the bear flannel hung as cozy curtains in stew's bedroom years ago.

on friday night we had a black bear amble up onto our porch.

we think he/she may shelter in our balsam orchard

(thus the friedlander print).

we had taken down the bird feeders on april first, per tradition...

but we had left them stacked carelessly on the porch.

when the bears come out of hibernation they are

HUNGRY,

and so we're guessing that's what drew the bear up to the house.

we slept through the whole thing,

and wonder if wilma was on night patrol at the windows...

blogging seems to have faded into the past.

so many of my faves have been abandoned.

and i've not been fully present here myself.

maybe the renewed energy of spring will draw me back to this space...

tula tuesday::week 15

 block #67 from tula pink's City Sampler.

stitched with a precious scrap of smiling moons

and a bit of fussy cut charlie harper and some dots.

and the inspiration...

a nest found on the ground last fall, 

which now perches on a shelf in our dining room.

yearning for warmer days, nesting birds and 

the mental lift that spring brings,

i could not resist this cheerful combination of fabrics.

tula tuesday::week 14

block #47 from tula pink's City Sampler.

stitched with a carolyn friedlander print

and a bit of a solid green i'm using in another project.

and the inspiration...

snowdrops.

these poor little sweeties fall over when the temps dip

and then pop back up when the sun shines.

patience.

xo

more of detroit

we hit avalon bakery for hot cross buns.

and alley taco for amazing fish tacos and elotes.

and sister pie for salted maple pie.

and detroit institute of bagels.

there are folks in detroit who have opened shop 

with multiple bottom lines.

folks who are reaching out to create businesses based 

on community building, collaboration and sustainability. 

there's a cool letterpress studio, signal return press.

and germack, where i found blood orange tea, 

peach apricot (think iced, in summer) and a "balance" blend.

and check out MoGo!

and we spent time with an amazing docent at 

the detroit institute of arts,

who helped us see every nook and cranny of 

diego rivera's massive 

detroit industry cycle of frescoes.

we spent time wandering around belle isle conservancy 

where lindsey does some volunteer work.

it was a lovely place to spend time on a chilly march afternoon!

specimens from england's kew gardens were shipped to this 

gorgeous place for safe keeping during ww2.

can't wait to get back to this fascinating city. 

road tripping

lindsey and scott moved to detroit soon after their wedding.

we recently road tripped out there to visit.

what an remarkable city.

so full of tough realities, resiliency,

despair and hope.

experiencing the heidelburg project was one of my 

favorite parts of our trip.

you can read about it here.

be sure to scroll around the website to 

see all the goodness.

tula tuesday::week 13

block #27, from tula pink's City Sampler.

stitched with indigo dyed fabric created in this workshop

and some carolyn friedlander scraps.

inspired by a chilly, sunny afternoon a week ago.

(We just returned from a road trip to Detroit and Cleveland,
Check back soon for lots of fun adventures).