CLOTH

Now on Facebook-- www.facebook.com/clothlint.  I've posted a little collection of "cloth" things that catch my eye.  These are all fresh from Tokyo!  Each one is one of a kind.  Fabrics vary.  And they are all for sale on Etsy.  www.etsy.com/shop/GreenGeishawww.etsy.com/shop/GreenGeisha

Rock Wool Rocks!

From these little cubes, to a garden in my kitchen window.  Rock wool works!  I know have 2 tomato plants, and 4 lettuce plants growing like crazy.  We've harvested the leaves to add to a salad and am anxiously waiting to see if the tomato plants actually give fruit.

Indigo Dye Workshop

Indigo is an old traditional plant-based dye.  Used by Japanese farmers as long as there has been cloth.  It is a working-class color and it also is the color of the original 'blue jeans'.  After a 'break' of 5 years, I"m finding myself drawn back to cloth again.  Thank you Darius for allowing me to use your indigo vat! 

Recently the designer Eileen Fisher has had exquisite shibori silk scarves in her collections.  I love the free form style of dip-dying (as seen below).
Though my garments are far from Eileen Fisher as you can get, I know I will enjoy wearing the indigo color and watching it fade over the years.  Other natural dyes may be more vibrant but somehow, this old blue is rather comforting and remains always, on-trend.

If you use indigo to dye your garments, remember that it is a plant and the dye is prone to fading--like the original 'blue jeans'.  That's part of the beauty, I think.  And also remember to rinse well and perhaps even wash with a little laudry detergent to get the smell out. 

I've happily worn there garments and always get compliments on them.  The asa panels made very nice sheer noren.  

To (un)Dye For

One day, I was mulling over why I had bought and kept a blouse and pant that I hardly ever wore.  It seemed wasteful to just throw them in the donation bin.  I must have loved the linen fabric (blouse) and Tencel (pant).  The color was yukky!  So, I decided to remove the color and change these garments into something I would hopefully like and wear this summer.

Rit Dye has a product called Color Remover.  This and plain old liquid bleach have become my go-to's to re-purpose clothing.  I wish I had a photo of the "before" colors, so will attempt to duplicate with a swatch:

This is the ugly manila color I started with...which has become my new white summer pant. 

Another linen blouse I wonder why I bought is a dark charcoal blue/grey.  Wore it once and it hung in the back of my closet, in the dark, unseen for a year.  (even this photo makes it look nicer than it was)

Dragged it out this summer intending to wear but it's such a dreary color I left in with the "donation" stuff.

The mottainai syndrome (waste not, want not) hit me and I flashed on Rit Color Remover and this is the result.  Yes, it took a while and several bleachings to remove most of the color down to a very light pink (?).  Then dumped it into a pot of Golden Yellow, let it soak all day, and here is the sunny yellow result! 

Perfect for summer!  Also, cut the sleeve and collar edges off to create a frayed, raw edge look.  I think it goes well with the rumpled linen.

Hydroponic Gardening

Found these little kits in Tokyo.  Everything is included to begin a soil-less garden.  Just add water.
In a few days little leaves sprouted.  I then moved the basil outside into the planter with soil.

My traveling friend, Susan, was so enthused that she researched the components and created her own bottle-planter from a used plastic soda bottle.  She also found that the growing medium is called "rock wool".  Not fabric but  something used to germinate seeds for hydroponic gardens.

Here is step two:  Found these rock wool cubes at the local Hydroponic store.  After a few days the little seeds sprouted. 

T-shirt gets re-Designed with Scissors

Not selling?  Of course not, what woman would wear a man's T-shirt just as is?  Plain crew neck, blah!

Attacked with scissors, cutting away parts I didn't want to reveal another style underneath.  Well, had to add as well as subtract.  It's now a mini dress for summer.