Monday

INSPIRATION

Today I got a post card from india from my dear friend Bridget that inspired me to think about how so much of my love for textiles comes from India and Ghandi's understandings about textiles . At Ambatalia above the front door I painted "There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and poverty". The new owner there painted over it. It makes me sad to think about!

Khadi - the fabric of freedom , it is a tribute to the freedom movement in India and how Khadi was a means of self-enpowerment that swept the country.



Iqbal demonstartes block printing in the Anohki Museum in Amber, India. Iqbal is astonishingly skillful and facinting to watch.



Khatri Jabbar Mohammad explains how he and his family have been printing textiles in this way for 9 generations. He tells us what he tells us what he uses to produce his masterpieces.

So Inspiring from Nicole

Nicole, a customer of Ambatalia made this amazing quilt from textiles from my shop when it was open. It reminds me of the creative and talented artist that I had the honor of meeting. I love her blog and grabbed this video that is so inspiring.




Tuesday

Having some fun in the kitchen

This is one of my dearest friends Anna. We have been having fun since we were 14. One of the most beautiful woman in the world to me. We can have fun in any thing we do together. She totally gets me and I get her. My aprons have never looked better. Sassy!!!

















Thursday

Ambatalia, making happy dry goods on Martha stewart show today!!!!

Ambatalia, making happy aprons were represented by remodelista today on the
Martha Stewart show. I am so honored, lucky and excited. Thank you so much Julie and Janet. You can find my goods locally at the beautiful Maison Reve in down town Mill Valley. If you want to see the video just go to:
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/remodelista








Happy New Year Friends

I 'm writing this post setting a president for the next year. Even if it's little bit late and slow to post. I will proceed, even though I do know it's January 25th now. I have stopped my self so many times before from sharing with you of who I really am. I'm hesitant, because my life style is not neat and pretty like I see on so many blogs. I want to share with you my process and more of the truth of my life. Hopefully you will enjoy the progress of my healing. I notice that so much of my creativity has much to do with the healing and growing as a human being. My art is about having to figure things out with what I have. Because I grew up with so much chaos, I notice my work is very simple and plain. I talk about honoring the table, but my family has often eaten on the floor because our table is such a mess with projects. I guess it's easy to share now that I have made a commitment to keep it clean and ready for dinner. I'm exploring order in a new way. My goal is to bring order for creating peace not control. My artistic work is a way for me to MAKE peace.
Being 46, there is no messin around with those numbers. I am a woman. I am married to a wonderful man, have three beautiful children, a dog, guinea pig and two fish and getting ready to build a chicken coup. Living in an 800 sq ft cottage with all of these beings. I've had a difficult time organizing and keeping things in order in the midst of a busy life. If you were my customer at ambatalia, I'm sure you remember the piles. I really hate to admit it, but its been a good year and I can honestly say I have found some peace in my home. It's so far from being done ( what ever that means). But, because of the pure passion and obsession for doing what I love. I have been forced to make order and systems. A huge part of that is living in this f----n small space. My living, office, dinning, play, studio room is all one room. Making ambatalia aprons and pulling thread out of the Romanian hemp to get a strait line is a meditation for me. I'm not necessarily blogging because I think so many people are so interested. I find it interesting in other people and I pick up so much inspiration from friends that are different from me and I love that. I think it's an amazing study. I hope you do find something about what I have to share about myself interesting, funny or comforting.

My new years PEACE solutions for this year:
fall in love with my family and friend even more than I already do!
everything out of my house that is not lovingly useful or that I can't live with out!!! I guess my kids and husband have a say in this!
Stretch my body daily( haven't started)
Only buy local meats, vegies
build a chicken coup
Be more kind to my family
keep the dinner table clear
Start the day off with a clean house
Trust my self that I can be successful( financially) in what I love to do
Support my kids in every way possible
Be compassionate to my Mother
get more sleep
become a better cook
play guitar more
post more on my blog!!!!
enjoy life!!!



Some photos of my Studio/ living room





WORKER

Thank you, Julie at Remodelista for posting about my new line of aprons. Your site is an amazing resource.

I am super inspired by useful things. Whether its an old tool or apron. Here are some pictures of work aprons that I have spent hours looking at every last detail and then over again.












Monday

Slow Textiles


I create Slow Textiles for a sustainable life style. For me, thinking about how things are made, where they come from and who is making them have always been important questions. Making textiles is my art and is a way for me to balance the chaos with slowing down, being in the present and creating peace in my life. Here are some of my thoughts on the slow food and textile movement.


The health of our bodies and our planet are one and the same. I think there is a direct connection between food and textile fiber. Just as food comes from fields, so does most of our fiber for textiles. What we put into the earth can nurture health or cause disease. As with slow food, there is a slow textile movement taking hold around the world today. Just as the food we share at our table is essential to our health and wellbeing so are the textiles we use to adorn our table. Our dinner table plays a fundamental role in our lives, not only to our body’s health but also to our spiritual and family health. The table brings people together and connects us.


For thousands of years, creating beauty has been a part of being human as reflected in the table coverings and napkins we use, and the clothes we wear. Yet, beauty without integrity brings a sense of emptiness to our lives. Like food, most textiles come from plants such as cotton, flax, hemp, sea cell, bamboo, nettles and soy. Other textiles come from animals such as silk and wool. I believe we are learning that the small choices that we make as individuals do effect our local and global health. What is put onto our fields ends up in our bodies, regardless of whether we ingest toxins through our mouths or place them on our skin. And many times these substances originated somewhere else on the planet.


So much waste is being placed in our homes, schools, streets, creeks, oceans and dumps. We see waste everywhere, in the disposable products we use,by the trees being chopped down or through the plastic that is used once, only to be then thrown away. We can use sustainable textiles to become a resourceful society.


Recently a spun piece of flax (linen) was found in Georgia that was 30,000 years old. Flax was growing wild at the time and was not only a source of edible grain, but also of textile fiber. It was probably braided together, macramé style to be used for headgear, baskets, ropes and strings. Plain old string was a powerful technology, which helped people weather the last ice age. These ancient fibers were knotted and dyed with plants to create colors of black, grey, turquoise and pink. Beauty and artistic expression was important to these early people.


The fashion and textile industry consumes large amounts of energy, creates significant waste and uses harmful pesticides and toxins. Buying organic cotton is an example of making a healthy choice since it is the version of its conventional counterpart that is grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals. Buying organic cotton can have a huge global impact, especially when one considers that cotton (organic or otherwise) provides about half of all the world's fiber needs. On the other hand, conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides on 3 percent of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that's just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization


I am realizing now that I have been a part of the slow textile movement for a number of years. In 2004 I created Ambatalia fabrics in downtown Mill Valley which was probably the first fabric store that focused solely on sustainability. At the time I was unaware that there was a slow textile movement growing and that I was a part of it. Bringing awareness to the importance of textiles made without pesticides and chemicals was as important to me as shining a light on the artisans that create them.


There are human beings all over the world for whom this expertise is also their livelihood. The current concept that focuses on “how to get things cheaper” without concern to the human or environmental cost, is a huge long term expense that affects all of us and future generations to come... We see evidence of this in every corner of the world today. The more we support sustainable textiles and local artisans the healthier we become as a society.


Slow food has over 100,000 members in 132 countries around the world. Many of their events connect us to our food, our community, our local economy and our history. The idea of supporting local organic farmers is a key message since we continue to find that there is so much to learn from the generations that have come before us. The most important thing is to continue to promote systems that allow all of us to feed our families the healthiest produce available while sustaining our local economy and in turn creating a healthier planet. Even though the slow textile movement isn't as mainstream as the slow food movement, I believe it will prove to be just as important.


Sunday

Ambatalia, making happy dry goods at Maison Reve

Ambatalia, making happy
"Finding sustainable solutions in old world traditions"

I'm so excited that Yasmine at Maison Reve is carrying ambatalia, making happy dry goods this fall. Please come to her beautiful new location down town Mill Valley to see my new line. On this Thursday there will be a special event for Rachel Ashwell , celebrating her new book Shabby Chic Interiors. The store will be extra sparkly and my goods will be wonderfully displayed ready for the picking. If you want to go to the event call Maison Reve to make a reservation. info@maisonreve.com 415.383.9700

Dog beds made out of feed sack hemp in three sizes.
The best looking dog bed I've seen. You can see Pooch loves it.





Denim place mats, From my Julia Child inspired line. Made out of reclaimed
Levi Strauss denim. Meant for every day use and made to last a life time.

Stockings made from vintage feed sack
Annabel making crepe's modeling my kids smock, made from Romanian Hemp.
Orange hand stitch ( mushroom on front pocket)




Tuesday

Ambatalia, making happy dry goods at Maison Reve




















plain cloth













Monday

Race to nowhere by Vicki Abeles

How our school system is failing our kids in many ways. Please watch trailer and take action. I believe in this with all of my heart as a mother. I want to thank Vicki Abeles for haveing the courage to make this amazing movie. Go to her web site and find out how to be a part of the change for our kids future..

Sunday

Julia Child inspired Apron




Like most people, I have been inspired by Julia Child. I did get even more into her with the movie Julie, Julia. I am not a great cook, but Trying hard to become one. Having Julia in this world helps very much. Studying her sensibilities and style has been an obsession for me. Never frilly, and totally practical. I listen to her cooking shows and interviews as I design and sew. Listening very closely to who she is as a woman and chef. My sewing techniques are practiced by again studying old craft aprons from the shoe maker to the iron smith. I have collected them over the years and I copy how they are made. I love love love the history and function of them.
This apron is made out of Levi Strauss reclaimed denim. I am so excited to bring this to you.
I am offering it in white stitch and classic blue stitch. I also am making the smock and full apron in this denim. You can find all of my goods on my etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by.

Simply Julia







Childs Smock







Wednesday

Eco warrior !!



Show off your Environmental Activist in you with the Eco Warrior Bag. If you see people littering the streets, not separating garbage properly etc, instantly transform your self into Eco Warrior!

Green visions

For me something beautiful, has to be sustainable. I love this little vid!!!

Friday

making Happy, sandwich and snack bags

We are  addressing no waste lunches at our school. My husband makes the lunches and he won't give up the wax paper, so I am selling my own version of the reusable cloth sandwich bags, pure and simple. There are a lot of cloth sandwich bags out there. Most of them are made with velcro, Pul or nylon, all are petroleum products. I am interested in offering them with nylon linings as well. I will see if I can get some nice quality reclaimed. I don't consider my self fanatical about anything. This is just my art and my passion, to explore design excluding the toxic parts.  I have so many cute fabrics for these, you can purchase them at my etsy shop. 


                                        




30,000 year old flax fiber found in Georgia

September 10, 2009

Archaeologists digging in a cave in the Eurasian country of Georgia have come across the world's oldest textiles: flax fibers that date back 30,000 years or more.

The find suggests that string isn't as humble as it seems. It may have helped our ancestors survive the last ice age.

A more than 30,000-year-old dyed flax fiber.
EnlargeEliso Kvavadze

A more than 30,000-year-old dyed flax fiber found in Georgia. It's likely that early humans used plants in the area to color the fibers.

To get a picture of life back then, scientists look at pollen from caves to figure out what plants were around when the people were. Ofer Bar-Yosef, a Harvard archaeologist, says a colleague of his studied some cave pollen under a microscope.

"Her major discovery was that many of these pollen chambers actually contain fibers of flax," he says.

Gathering Flax In The Wild

An outside view of the Dzudzuana cave in Georgia.
EnlargeScience/AAAS

An outside view of the Dzudzuana cave, where archaeologists discovered the fibers.

Flax was growing wild at the time. And it turns out not only to be a source of edible grain, but of fiber. These fibers were twisted — a sure sign that the flax had been spun.

Flax fibers woven together make linen, but in this case, linen doesn't mean crisply pressed summer suits. Bar-Yosef says the fibers they found in the cave were probably braided together, macrame style.

"You can make headgear, you can make baskets, you can make ropes and strings, and so on," he says.

Bar-Yosef didn't find any of those objects in the cave — that's too much to hope for 30,000 years later. But the researchers report inScience magazine that they did find evidence that the fibers were knotted and dyed — black, gray, turquoise and even pink. That's consistent with other artifacts that show an artistic flair among these early people.

Like Finding A Needle In A Haystack

The news of this ancient textile is exciting to Elizabeth Barber, a retired professor from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She literally wrote the book on prehistoric textiles.

"I mean, talk about the proverbial needle in the haystack," she says. "Trying to find fibers that are 30,000 years old really is almost impossible."

Barber says evidence of textiles already dates back 25,000 years — there are impressions of woven material found in clay. It's now clear that the technology is even older. And that fits nicely with her hypothesis that plain old string was a powerful technology, which helped people weather the last ice age.

"It totally revolutionized what they could do," she says. "On a very simple basis, think of the fact you can tie things up in packages so you can carry more. You can put out nets and snares to catch more game so you can eat better."

Fibers Probably Not Used For Clothing

We tend to think of clothing when we think of woven materials. But Barber says woven clothing was probably not around 30,000 years ago.

"There's no real evidence they wore clothing," she says. Figurines and other representations usually showed people naked. "If you were cold, you'd pull the pelt that came off of last night's dinner around your shoulders."

Instead, she says, woven clothing evolved not so much for comfort as for fashion — and it was fashion with a social purpose.

"It's not until you start to get haves and have-nots that people start differentiating themselves by, 'Look what I'm wearing as opposed to what you're wearing or not wearing.' "

So how does she explain the pink and turquoise dyes on those ancient fibers?

"We love color — our brains go 'zing' when they see color," she says.

Wednesday

HEMP FOR VICTORY

making happy, furoshiki

I have always loved wrapping gifts and carrying food to a party in cloth. I sold Furoshiki at Ambatalia, but with out the education of all the ways to wrap, it can be easily mistaken as a simple napkin. I really am getting into it because it has so many uses. Napkin, gift wrapping, purse, market bag, book carrier , scarf, apron and so many more ways. Please look up furoshiki on youtube for great instuction. These are just a few samples of my work, I also will be doing vintage, plain, and childrens fabrics. There are three different sizes for different wraps. Making happy, furoshiki is unique, sustainable and always hand stitched with white sashico. They are available in my etsy shop.

Childs lunch

Pot luck
Two mugs for coffee, I will see you at peet's
books, as a gift or returning to the library.


We will have beers




.









Tuesday

Youth Making a difference celabration day

This last day of Youth Making a Difference was everything I had hoped for. It was our cooking day. I wanted us to make my friend Roberta's amazing apple cake, but at the farmers market we decided that we wanted to use what was in season. So blue berry crumb cake it was. We had started making yogurt the day before and I knew I wanted to make butter with the girls. I really didn't know what recipe we would use so I looked up Martha's version. The magical thing that happened was that this recipe needed sour cream and butter. So we substituted the sour cream with our home made organic Straus yogurt and butter. We talked about all the ingredients that we were using. Flour, sugar and dairy and where they came from. Who makes it possible for them to be in our markets and how long it had to travel to get here. More than anything else, we had such a beautiful time making this cake and creating this beautiful alter for our food. To make some of the ingredients from scratch and create such a masterpiece to share, knowing exactly what went in to it, I know this week was special. I hope the girls enjoyed it as much as I did. My friend Josie Maran sent the girls an earth day kit as a gift, a little extra magic for the day. It was wonderful ending the day playing with make up that is not only great for our skin, but also our planet. Thank you Josie and thank you Sienna, Sasha, Annabel, Grace and lucia for such a memorable week. Enjoy the rest of your summer, Love Molly







Some of the gifts they created to bring home.







Yummy, hand made organic yogurt




Drinking the butter milk separted from the butter. So delicious




Shake it, shake it, shake it!!!







Making new freinds, always the best!!
One of my favorite designs!










Thursday

Farmers market, here we come!!

We went to the farmers market yesterday. It was a wonderful learning experience, and a blast. We got on the 17, transferred in San Rafael and got on the 45. We had so much fun talking about why its important to fill up the buses with people and also what kind of questions we had for the farmers. Some people might complain that taking the bus takes too much time. We are all so busy. Believe me, I'm right there with ya. Thinking I have to get every thing done and hold every thing together. I'm realizing I can't keep it all together, but I can create peace for my self and my family with the choices I make. I love creating art, line drying my clothes and hand stitching to practice mindfulness and slowing down. I feel like taking the bus with the girls was one of those time worthy journeys. Also we don't realize how isolating driving in a car is. Public transportation is a wonderful way to connect with our community and friends. These were some of the questions the girls were asking the farmers.
Do you like being a farmer?
What kind of produce to you grow?
How long does it take to grow ?
What are some of the things you do on your farm?
We talked to a handful of farmers and they were all very enthusiastic about talking with us. Cliff at Prather Ranch Meat co had a long and engaging conversation with the girls. They were so interested in where their beef came from and how the cows were treated.



















Eating yummy organic sprouts on the bus ride home. One of the girls favorites.




Wednesday

beeswax, olive oil, lavender and honey


Most make up out there is made out of ingredients that we don't want in our kids body's.
Teens turning green has up to date information about what are in these products, and alternative products that are healthy choices.
Today we made simple lip balm with pure natural ingredients. Because our friend Ashley gave us some organic lavender from Sonoma, we infused it with the olive oil over night, the kids took turns grating local beeswax and we melted it down with a bit of honey and the olive oil and put it into jars, soooo lovely and natural.



We also had a lot of time just to play, the girls went crazy with the fabric in my studio, really great designs they came up with. We had lunch at the creek and took a walk around the neighborhood
















Plum jam and Treasure Boxes

Yesterday here at YMAD camp we started off our day making plum jam from yesterdays pickins. We decided that pitting them was too time consuming and we would just strain them afterwards. The girls had so much fun squishin and pittin with their hands. Then they made them beautiful with scrap fabric decorating the jars. We enjoyed our plum jam in our sandwich today at the creek for lunch. It really was a satisfying process.













Misak gave us some fancy shoe boxes for our Treasure.













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Monday

Youth Making a Difference Cleaning The Creeks

It was our fist day of Youth Making a difference Summer camp. What a blast!!!! We started off our week with a day of cleaning creeks in Mill Valley. I learned so much about how the water flows through our town, and what it picks up along the way  to the bay. We talked about where creeks start and travel to. We asked a lot of questions and found a lot of clues, like oil marks leading to gutters then dumping into that stream. Every thing that is in our streets, pesticides in our gardens, garbage left behind, ends up in our streams and bay. The girls were so excited and had many  solutions, it truly inspired me. They couldn't wait to start.  They picked up every piece of garbage they saw, even cigarette butts. Using 100% compostable bags and rubber gloves we went to work spending 3 1/2 hours that morning , next stop Tony's shoe repair, we went to get fancy Italian show boxes from Misok for our treasure box project the next day. To finish this day off we went to pick some neighborhood plum trees to make our plum jam. I had grown up picking plums from this tree, but when you are trying to get 3 pounds of plums, it always  nice to ask the owners of the property. At first I was kind of scared, what if they say no? they might not want to be bothered. Well Barney and Luis were thrilled we were there and came out with a long clipper to help get all we needed. Not only did we harvest beautiful organic fruit, but we also met and became friends with our neighbors. 


                                                No Dumping, drains to bay



                                                         A swing we found along the way
            aha! This is another way water from the streets or other streams flow into this creek. 




It was a real jungle out there, we notice so many shades of green. With a moment to take in the beauty and a deep breath ahhhhhh!
                                              A beautiful bench waiting for us to have snack


 

                                                    Noticing the beautiful hydrangeas


                                            
                                              A clue that the old railroad was around here


Berkeley Botanical Gardens, Green Gala

Its been too long since I've blogged. I have been so busy slowing down (he he). It takes a lot of practice for me to actually be in the moment and enjoy my life blessings. I have to say the last few months I have had three back to back events that I had to do a lot of preparing for. It's my first summer with my kids and trying to just enjoy these beautiful days with them, blogging was just one to many things to do.

Wow what a beautiful day. The Green Gala fashion show at the Berkeley Botanical gardens was truly inspiring. I had the pleasure of showing my pieces with amazing Eco designers from around the bay area. The setting was magical in the redwood grove. The huge collection of plants, the beauty and education that the botanical garden brings to our bay area community was the reason we were there. Cloth and plant are one in the same, hemp, linen, cotton, bamboo, nettle, soy and many others. They are as important as our food. What ever we put into the dirt ends up in our body's. Then there are plant dye and for centuries the most beautiful cloth in the world has been dyed with plants. Indigo, Woad, madder, onion, lichen, sassafras, brazilwood and so many more.

Because working with sustainable fabrics is my passion, for this body of work I am inspired by heirloom textiles and designs. I created by hand modern pieces. With each stitch I become conscious of the amazing quality and craftsman ship woven in these textiles. I bring to life a new story that connect us to our history and a way of using what we have, practice years ago as a way of life.

revamped vintage 1930's vest transformed into a Halter, hand stitched and
hand felted 1980's woven wool, copying an old Asian jacket
revamped mock Victorian blouse and fabric covered shoes
jean skirt by del forte



hand sewn vintage lace trim blouse,
Romanian hemp and turmeric dyed hemp obi and
vintage silk fabric pleated skirt


top made with 1930's laundry bag labeled Ruth A. Reed and
vintage Swiss cloth hand stitched
jeans by del forte

beautiful photos by Cara Mia photography











ZIO ZIEGLER, A NEW EXCITING STORE IN MILL VALLEY

Please go check at Zio's new store at 87 East Blithedale , this is a gift to Mill Valley. Sharing his artist statement below.

My collections of clothing are based off my paintings. By taking certain images and icons from my work and translating them into clothing products, I give my customer an opportunity to take a piece of work away with them. Because my creative process and work are transitory by nature, the products of this process are constantly evolving and giving those who appreciate my work a chance to wear new Zio Ziegler clothing often. While the work is ephemeral, the continuity in both products and paintings lies within my style. My work is inspired by everything at once . A capricious creation directly inspired by the moment make take place one day, while an “automatic drawing” may happen the next. My work is the manifestation of all that is in my mind, whether conscious or subconscious, philosophy or mountain biking, Ego or Id, my work is a collectively inspired by the movements of the universe around me. I am constantly developing a lexicon of imagery in my artwork that both aids narrative and concept as a constant element in the ephemeral subject matter of my work. Eastern Philosophies, an eclectic range of literature and nature are constant points of contact for the concepts of my work, but similar to my style, my concepts are constantly building into a pieces that exemplify more of a process than a premeditated and thoroughly simplified translatable creation. My silk screens, paintbrushes, spray paint, quills and pencils are tools of visceral expression in my creations and help me reach the desired product of my process, work and life: Happiness.
















Emma Kate has moved

We went to go see Emma at her apartment before she moved. Tears were a flowin. Emma walked into Ambatalia about 3 years ago. I took one look at her and it was like seeing a beautiful flower in full bloom. I wanted her to be a part of my life and she has. She worked at the shop and became part of my family. Originally being from Texas, she had that southern thing shinning from deep within. Kindness, beauty and talent are the words that come to mind. I love her. She and her dear friend Priscilla are designers of Green Dog Designs, available at select stores. She's movin back to Texas, and I will miss her so much, but I will not loose touch. Austin here we come!
























Saturday

Screen printing from Etsy

This post is especially for Youth Making a Difference Eco fashion show in fairfax this June 13th. We want to buy used tees, screen print them and then make them our own for that day. I like this because for years I really didn't get the whole screen print thang. It's pretty good and kind of entertaining.

Nike Davies

This made my day to find this video. I carried Nike's textiles at Ambatalia when it was open. I cherished these fabrics. I still have scraps and a beautiful boo boo with an image of a woman batiked on each side. This is so beautiful to see where and how these textiles where made. I had about 8 different styles at the time. I can still smell the indigo. Hmmmm

Wednesday

SHEEP AND WEEDS


I can't wait to go see Ashley and Sasha's show. If any body wants to car pool from Mill Valley, I will drive. Yahoo!






Monday

Youth Making A Difference eco Fashion show at the Fairfax festival June 13 and 14th 2009

Youth Making a Difference first fashion show event at the Fair fax eco festival was wonderful. The girls worked really hard for about three months meeting some times twice a week, and did such a beautiful job on thier designs. I enjoyed so much watching and supporting these girls coming up with such innovative ideas. This show and process was about creating fashion with complete creative freedom. Our guidelines to sustainability was using reclaimed or new organically grown fabric , repurposing used or vintage clothing and playing with several print techniques and plant dye. This event is one of many to come in the future. Please check out slow family to see more pictures of the fashion show.
























































Wednesday

INSPIRATION JAPANESE STYLE

One of my favorite things to do is to go to Japan town, get some yummy food and go to Kinokuniya book store. Here are some images that inspire me right now.

















Saturday

Youth Making A Difference



Youth Making a difference
Have fun, take action. Create a more sustainable World
Summer 2009

I invite your child to come spend a summer week with me. I'm a mother of three, an artist and green business owner native to Mill Valley. Sustainability is my passion.

Campers will create art with recycled materials, bake bread with local, organic ingredients, dye fabric with plants, clean the creeks, care for our neighborhood, visit green businesses, and meet other local youth who are making a difference. Camp activities will be fun, democratically decided, and sustainability- oriented. Architecture, home decor, Arts and crafts, our schools, our communities, ourselves and our families. This camp is all about the solution and how we can a play a part in the green revolution.

Camp focus: Your child will feel safe, nurtured and empowered as we explore and create together. Days will include circle sharing, social and community service and a profound environmental awareness, with the guiding principle that each of us is unique and has a special gift to bring to the world.


Ages 8 to 13
Camp Dates: 
June 29th through July 3rd
July 13th through July 17th
July 27th through July 31st
August 10th through August 14th
August 17th through August 24th
Camp Times: 9:00 till 3:30
Prices per week: $325.00 per child, siblings discount
Extended day: $100.00 extra for the week
Maximum amount of children will be 8

Molly de Vries
molly@thefabricsociety.com
415.259.9582
My other Blog
http://thepublicgreen.blogspot.com

Thursday

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

I had the honor to make these LOVE LETTERS, last minute of coarse. This amazing event was for Engage, put on by my girl friend Sarah Haynes. Jullia Butterfly Hill and Von Jones were being honored. I was so inspired, I shed some tears, big time. My heart was filled with LOVE and even more possability's


Friday

I love L.A


                                When my dear friend Roberta  jokingly said "get in the car, come with me to L.A" . I said "Hmm, could I actually leave my life for a few days for no good reason? I think I can" I said. We had a freaken blast. 

First stop San Juan Bautista, a potters stodio and shop just off the road.I feel bad I don't have the name. A couple have been there for thirty years. I bought some beautiful glazed white bowl. I love them I will add a picture of them at some point. I loved thier studio. They loved Jazz and Japanese ceramics





                                      
                                                  Roberta has taught me so much in life. 
                                               She puts so much intention into her home .
                        You always feel so comfortable and its beautiful every where you look. 
                                                                 Still no nonsence






        "Making happy"  Yes we can quilt. Made with reclaimed linen, silk and Romanian hemp

                        A Jess Brown doll just so happened to be taking a rest on the quilt I made.
                                                                   I am so honored


                                                My sister Colleen  at Taking the Riens





                                    Edele Horne and my Sister Colleen's Home in Silver lake



                                                           



                                                                        Angela Dufresne



 

Saturday

Unbelievable

I've been having anxiety attacks about this subject ever since I saw sex lies and video tapes. Chris Jordon gives all of us an opprotunity to look at all the little things we do that make a huge impact in the world. It would be beautiful to see his art in 20 years from now with us as a planet taking action to reduse our impact.


Wednesday

Todays inspiration




                                   Pattern Tales from Barcelona