Studio Art Quilt Associates is hosting its first ever conference outside of the USA here in Toronto! I am a new member of this organization and excited to be attending as a member. I am also participating as a vendor of my snow and hand dyed fabrics and scarves at its pop-up on Thursday March 19, 2020 from 10-6.
variegated hand dyed perle cotton thread by Anne Peters
Colour all around! These gorgeous hand dyed items by Anne Peters, a textile artist and passionate dyer, will be available for 2 days only. Anne of @dyeforfun and I will be sharing a booth and our love of shibori dyeing next weekend at Quilts at the Creek festival.
shibori cotton fabric
quilted shibori pillow
At 1:00 sit down and relax for 45 minutes while I do my trunk show in the Wilmot Town Hall. I will be showing and talking about my love of indigo and snow dyeing using shibori techniques. I will be bringing some of my quilts and fabrics to illustrate the techniques I use to create one-of-a-kind scarves and fabric. Then step across the Town Hall Green to see the items available for sale in the vendor located just steps away in the Event Pavilion area. Come and see us, our indigo and hand dyed shibori cotton fabrics, kits, variegated perle and embroidery cotton threads. I am also bringing snow dyed fabric and scarves. A cornucopia of colour, texture, and designs will be available!
fabric bundles with thread hand dyed July 27, 2019 @ 11:00 am – July 28, 2019 @ 5:00 pm
Anne has some bundles and fat quarters of shibori and hand dyed fabrics and thread that are greatly reduced. She is clearing out colours and designs that she is no longer dyeing to make way for her new ones. Visit us to see what she has available. But don`t wait!
fat quarter bundles in co-ordinating colours
Anne and I will be in the vendor’s pavilion from July 27, 2019 – July 28, 2019 @ 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Quilts at the Creek at Black Creek Pioneer Village 1000 Murray Ross Pkwy North York, ON M3J 2P3 Canada
I am so fortunate to be collaborating with a local craftsperson – Maria Nunes. Her hand made crochet jewellery is beautifully designed and crafted. Maria learned to crochet as a child, growing up in Portugal at a time when there was still no television, not even electricity! In school they were taught to knit and would make simple scarves and hats. At home, Maria’s mother taught her to crochet to make doilies, table scarves and trim for her ‘enxoval’ or trousseau.
Fuchsia Ombre and Blue to Green Variegated Hand Dyed Crochet Cotton
Maria has continued to crochet and over the years has made many household items using traditional patterns. Recently, she has changed her style to reflect modern tastes, creating handcrafted pillows, wallhangings and of course jewellery!
Indigo Hoop Earrings with Blue Glass Beads
Variegated, ombre, and with colour changes over very short areas have been a challenge for me. I have had to rethink my process as well as the amount of dye used! But it has been so much fun! I will also be indigo dyeing this spring and I can’t wait to see the jewellery she makes. I gave Maria all the indigo dyed cotton thread left from one of my projects. All of the pieces she made have been sold! It shows that blue and white is a much loved combination.
Beige Cotton Circle Drop Earrings with Glass Beads
Magazines, and books are still places Maria finds inspiration, but more often she finds herself turning to Pinterest. Inspiration for her designs also come from working with the materials. A bead, the colour of the hand dyed cotton thread can start her on a new design. More and more often her jewellery includes beads, they really excite her with opportunities!
Fuchsia Hand Dyed Round Earrings by Maria Nunes Designs on Snow Dyed Wool Scarf by Doris Lovadina-Lee
Maria believes that crochet is a dyeing art. She has tried to teach the next generation but with the competition for TV watching, and the internet with its so many social media outlets, it is a hard sell. Maria finds that crocheting is a relaxing and imaginative art. It has a calming effect allowing room for imagination.
Maria Nunes of @maria.n.designs crocheting
I am collaborating with Maria on dyeing some new crochet cotton. More experimentation with colours, ombre effects, indigo and more. Follow Maria on Instagram @maria.n.designs to see what she is creating.
February has been a great month for snow dyeing. I think we got most of our snow during this month. In preparation for spring weather, I dyed these scarves in a variety of lighter shades. The one on the left reminds me of Pantone’s color of the year: PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral. I am rinsing out shades of blue and green as well.
While I had the scarves together and was admiring the colours, my son picked up one of the snow dyed scarves and promptly named it: Pink Flamingo. I laughed and challenged him to name them all! So here they are:
Lively Marsh
Safari Dusk
Soft Radiance
Peach Cobbler
Can you match the name to the scarf?
Are you planning on travelling? These newly snow dyed linen/rayon scarves crinkle beautifully when washed and dried. They are perfect travel scarves. Just twist and put in your luggage. Shake out and wear. Machine wash and dry!
So many factors of the dyeing process contribute to making each scarf unique: fibre content, dye colours, amount of snow used, amount of dye used and folding techniques.
Every time I hand dye, I am surprised and happy with the results.
Even so, there is always one from each small batch that captures my heart!
I’ve chosen a few of my favorite snow dyed shibori scarves that still remain in my shop.
I would be happy to send one of my favorite scarves to one of your favorite people (including you!)
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Hiding under this pile of coloured snow is the accessory that puts the final touch on a handmade outfit by Anne Johnson of @anne.makes.things.
Fuchsia fibre reactive dye with a sprinkle of brown transforms the lightweight lambs wool shawl into a colourful piece of art to wear.
Anne chose this beautifully patterned snow dyed shibori shawl to compliment her handmade outfit. The tailored skirt and hand knit sweater were created by Anne.
I am honoured that Anne chose to accessorize her beautiful ensemble with one of my artisanal small batch scarves. Thank you for supporting handmade!
Nothing makes me happier than beautiful colours! My favourite is fuchsia like the linen rayon scarf I dyed with snow. I love this colour as evidenced by the amount of it in my fabric stash. The quilt I am working on includes shades of this bright pink hand dyed fabric paired with gray. Always a great combination.
This is a metre of itajime shibori snow dyed quilting cotton.
The half metre of prepared for dyeing cotton was snow dyed with a mixture of fuchsia and violet.
What is your favorite colour?
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I am happy to have my hand dyed shibori scarves available at a Field & Flower located at 2005 Danforth Ave. Toronto, Canada. Colleen Imrie is the owner of this shop that celebrates nature, beauty and simplicity. She stocks locally handmade items such as soaps, aromatherapy products, jewellery, clothing and my hand dyed scarves.
Take some time to visit the east end of Toronto and drop into Field and Flower and browse through the beautifully curated products:
“that will soothe your senses, comfort your heart, and warm your home; little tokens that life feels good”.
Boutique Firenze is a gift shop in London, Ontario. It is the dream of owner Bettina Weber and husband Len Elliot. They travel to Italy to personally select the beautiful items available for their shop.
Luckily, you won’t have to travel to Europe, to purchase fine quality leather gloves, silk scarves and hand crafted gift wares.
This bricks and mortar shop has only been open a short while. Previously, the owners worked at selling these luxurious yet affordable items part-time.
Boutique Firenze also carries a selection of fine handcrafted items from Canada including my scarves! They coordinate very well with all the beautiful gloves they carry from Florence.
Photo courtesy of Boutique Firenze
Gloves for the man in your life.
Photo courtesy of Boutique Firenze
Snow dyed, shibori and indigo dyed scarves hand-made just for you. Visit to see the selection.
Whatever you are looking for, the perfect gift to give or for yourself, Bettina will be happy to help you. I hope you have the opportunity to visit the store and see the selection of gifts available, including Murano glass jewellery, and my scarves of course!
Handcrafted items of all types are on display at the gift shop in Museum London. Including a selection of my hand dyed shibori scarves!
The gift shop in the lobby of the London Museum specializes in selecting artwork and crafts from local artists. They have a large selection of handmade ceramics, glassware, woodwork as well as a variety of art cards for any gift you purchase.
Ask Erin and Fraser to help you pick the perfect gift from the beautifully curated selection at Muse Shop + Rental next time you visit Museum London. Don’t forget to look for my scarves!
