Fibershed and Rowland Ricketts

I realized while walking down this beautiful dirt road in the Nicasio hills on the Marin Carbon Project Land.  Excited to Meet Rowland and ready to begin a day of hardwork to help build Fibersheds Indigo compost floor.  In this Video that I share Rowland talks about the importance of working together. Thats something that I crave in my life. That was one of the key reasons for opening Ambatalia years ago. Looking back I know it was steps towards that dream. I truley believe if you do what you love its not always an easy or clear path but hopefully one day something happens and all of a sudden it makes sense.
I definitely had one of those ah ha moments that day.

      I just ordered 200 Polygonum tinctorium Japanese indigo seeds from the Fibershed Market place. I am married to a gardener but I wouldn't consider myself one. I am about to sign a lease for a new studio 

( crossing my fingers) that happens to be a green house, so I figure I better start growning Indigo as a part of the Fibershed. I'm actually obsessed with it and have been for a long time,  I am so grateful to be a part of this Fibershed community I deffinatly feel a part of something really important and meaningful.  I feel like its an extention of my self.

Go over  to A verb for kleeping warm for a step by step guide of what we did that day.

Nicasio, California

Beautiful Rebecca, with out her we wouldn't be here.

This indigo compost house ( NEDOKO) would never be a reality with out John Wick and Peggy Rathmann.

John built it with Help. We are forever grateful.

 John drops sand over the Gravel.

Every step we all have to get in to press it down( tamp) by walking all over it.

 This is a Japanese tool that helped, can't remember what its called.

Rice hulls are put in ( man those were bouncy little dudes)

 

Ah.... Lunch and what a feast it was! 

Rowland showing us how to separate Indigo seeds.

Every thing kind of blows away while you shake them. 

Fibershed

My Life is so full right now, actually overflowing. Finally I feel like there is a community building around something I have been dreaming about for a long time and it's because of Rebecca Burgess's idea of the Fibershed project that has brought all of the different elements needed to create a strong enough movement to bring some change round how we think about fiber, fabric, clothes and how their made and who makes them.  Every day I breath in new inspiration looking at native plants wondering if they will dye fabric, or dreaming of hemp, cotton and flax fields right here in California. I feel blessed to be a part of this and excited to bring this concept more and more into the Ambatalia collection.

One woman that has made this a reality is Sally Fox. If you don't know who she is... Go forth and learn as much as you can. I met her on the phone when my shop was just opening. In 2003 when I was researching organic fabric and where to get it for my shop, that's who came up on the Internet "Sally Fox". I called her directly because I had to have her color grown cotton in my store. She was lovely to talk to and her story and fabric had so much integrity and such beauty. Of course most of Rebecca's wardrobe is made out of the colors of nature all because of Sally fox. Unfortunitly there is not much out there in the way of milled organic cotton( I hope that will change soon). I made some under garments and a dress out of sally fox's color grown jersey for Rebecca's wardrob. I hope she loves it as much as I loved working with this amazing fabric.

Sally Fox

Table cloths I made for the event 

Nancy Ottenstein's hand spun and plant dyed wool

Katherine Jolda ridin her wool carding bicycle.
This bike is so cool! I think she even sells kits.
Just think working out has a whole new purpose!

 My favorite pieces by Dyan Ashby
love the colors!!

Flags I made for the event, you can kind of see
 them in front of the Tibetan pray flags.

Harmony friends having a great time.

The quilt that I made got sold, this was hard for me to let go of, all the linen and hemp I collected and some fabrics I just cherish and then put them all into one quilt. 

I hope the lady that bought it really enjoys it.

I bought Rebecca's book Harvesting Color and cherish every word. The pictures
are amazing all done by Paige Greene. The first thing I did was walk down to the corner and got some fennel. I want to know all of the plants in my area that I can use for dying.