And one that tells me what time it is (snack time!) is even better.

These charming clocks are the creation of Etsy seller Nicola and the Newfoundlander.

Constructed from a piece of reclaimed 1938 water tower wood, these clocks feature a hand screened print on silk, or other colorful printed fabrics.

These fish seem to be swimming right around the hands.

Pretty, Japanese style branch with blossoms.

This rooster looks a bit cocky, don’t you think?

Charming chirpers.

There are many more styles available, including dogs, trees, and architectural images.  Check them all out at  Nicola and the Newfoundlander (and check out their cute clothing too!).

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

After gathering at the lovely French General for the workshop, we all carpooled over to the park where our dyeing experience would take place.

Once at the park we got a delightful and informative overview of the history of woad dyeing from Denise Lambet, who flew all the way from the South of France just to create a legion of new woad addicts dyers.  After regaling us with stories of previous woad workshop students stripping down to their skivvies in an attempt to have just ONE more garment to dunk in the vats, she proceeded to explain how the process worked, and what we would need to do to have a successful dyeing experience.  Then we got to work.

We were each provided with a bucket full of water and a stick, and told we needed to get our items thoroughly wet – NO air bubbles allowed!  Air is not your friend when you are dyeing with woad. Not only will air bubbles in your fabric block the dye from bonding with it, they also cause the woad to activate to a blue color prematurely, rendering the batch of woad weaker.

In case you didn’t look at the previous post, here is what a fresh batch of woad dye looks like.  Delicious, no?

After a brief moment of hesitancy, we all started cautiously dipping our first textiles into the woad.

Then we progressively got bolder… 

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Ahem.  OK, maybe not THAT bold.

Pretty soon we were plunging our hands in as well as our fabrics.  Thank goodness we were wearing gloves!

Well, most of us were anyway.  A few hardy souls decided to go into full on woad mode, leaving their hands a lovely shade of blue that will last them for weeks.  Badge of honor I guess.

That is some yarn being dyed.  I would love to see something made from it!

Sometimes, strange “creatures” would float to the surface of a vat.  Any guesses what that is?

As soon as you dyed something, you needed to hang it up so the initial yellowish color could oxygenate to the final lovely blue.  You could watch it happen as you ran to the line.  Pretty cool.

Here are a few of the items I dyed.  The depth of blue depended on the strength of the batch (they varied over the 6 or so vats available), the type of fiber, and the time you left it in the dye.

Soon the drying lines started to fill up, so they had to put up more line…

and more line…

until we ran out, and we started to use the rock walls.

This is one of those times when I wish I had an extreme wide angle lens, because I want to badly so show you how there was blue EVERYWHERE in sight.  It was almost 360 degrees of blue.  So beautiful!

People were dyeing everything from yarn, to lace, to small tablecloths, to these sneakers.  After lunch, I only had one item left to dye, and once I was done with that I still felt the itch.  So I did exactly what Denise Lambet predicted…

I took the clothes off my back and plopped them in!  That used to be an oatmeal colored organic cotton sweater I’m standing behind.  Now it is a gorgeous shade of dusky blue.  If there hadn’t been a little bit of a chill in the air (not to mention a few men folk around) I might have been tempted to see what else I had on to toss in a vat.

All in all, it was an amazing afternoon.   The wonderful folks at French General are hoping to offer this workshop again next year.  I’m not sure if I can wait!  That blue is so pretty, I want to dye everything in sight.  My sheets,… my curtains,… my towels,… my cat,….  Oh dear…

Hello, my name is Rachel Hulan, and I have a woad addiction.

Bet you would too!

I realize that it doesn’t look like what we usually think of as a green home, and that is exactly the point.  From the integrated solar roof tiles to the heavy duty insulation, the sustainable aspects of this home are largely hidden.  And yet, they are very, very effective, allowing this home to achieve one of the highest GreenPoint Rated scores ever given.

And those fancy Viking appliances in the kitchen?   Purchased from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.  Man, I need to go shopping there!

In any case, I had the pleasure of getting to know the couple behind this terrific home, and even helped them get a hold of  some of the sustainable furnishings to showcase.  If you watch when the video pans to the dining room, you will see one of William Stranger’s gorgeous wood slab tables.  And the rugs featured throughout are handwoven of sustainable, vegetable dyed yak wool and wild silk, (I’ll be writing more about the rugs in another post).   Online eco-friendly home furnishings retailer My Sparrow also contributed some of their great accessory items, such as artwork, pillows and bath products.

So, enjoy the video, or if you are in Southern California area, see about getting a tour at one of the open houses.  It’s a terrific project, and well worth seeing.  Oh, and many of the items you will see are available for purchase, so if you see something you can’t live without, feel free to contact me and I will get you more information and let you know who to contact.

image via Shelterrific

Here are some really CUTE pillows from recycled materials, by Alexandra Ferguson. (Shelteriffic)

West Elm’s new line of FSC certified office furniture, designed by students at Pratt. (Inhabitat)

A lovely new kitchen, made of reclaimed materials, that looks absolutely classic. (re-nest)

GE has unveiled their latest technology in super efficient OLED lighting. (Inhabitat)

It takes 5,000 cocoons to provide enough silk for one kimono!  And this guy is raising the caterpillars, spinning the silk, and weaving it all by himself. (BoingBoing)

The first U.S. Certified Passive House, in Louisiana of all places. (Treehugger)

And finally, the most adorable ad, made on a whim by an 11 year old girl, for Harmony Art organic cotton fabrics.  Seriously, somebody hire this girl! (The Journey is the Prize)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Since 1856, when the first aniline dye was invented by William Henry Perkin, the use of natural dyes has seen a steady decline – supplanted by cheaper and easier to produce synthetics.  It is only recently, with the renewed interest in more sustainable forms of textile production, that the world has started to rediscover how amazing natural dyes can be.

All images by David Handschuh

Even with the renewed interest though, the use of natural dyes in the United States has thus far been on a very small scale.  Really little more than a loose network of dedicated textile artisans and crafters, up to their elbows in vats of tea and berry juice.  Small scale that is, until Noon Design Studio came along…

Madder Root

The only commercial scale natural dye production house in the United States, Chicago based Noon Design Studio developed their system for colorful, consistent, large scale natural dyeing while pursuing better dyeing methods for the portable solar bags of sister company Noon Solar.  They now provide their dyeing services to designers around the U.S., and can work on both a yardage or by the piece basis.  Best of all, they dye by weight and are capable of taking jobs as small as 10 pounds.

Cutch wood chips

Says founder Jane Palmer…

“I love naturally dyed textiles because of their unique beauty; they have a presence of hand and luminosity that cannot be created with chemical dyes.  I also love the dyes because of their sustainability with the earth and connection to thousands of years of history.”

Cochineal

Noon Design Studio uses only sustainably harvested natural materials in their dyeing process.  Their materials consist of fruits, woods, roots and even insects.  For example, they use madder root, pomegranate, walnuts, indigo, cochineal bugs, and many other dyestuff to achieve a rainbow of luxurious colors.

Just launched in January, Noon Design Studio may be the beginning of a real revolution in fabric design here in the States.  Certainly many textile, fashion and interior designers will be knocking on their door soon.  Imagine the possibilities!

However, there is an equally beautiful solution, and that is “Peace Silk”, which is used by Rajboori to make their amazing line of bed linens and throw pillows.

Peace Silk is created from wild cocoons where the moth has been allowed to fully develop and emerge on it’s own.  Although the cocoons have a hole in them, and therefore a broken silk thread, the shorter threads are still usable, and create a silk with a wonderful texture and softness.

Rajboori takes this beautiful Peace Silk and creates beautiful, colorful fabrics using non-toxic dyes.  Woven by skilled artisans on rare, 10 paddle jacquard looms, the fabric is made in a process that can take 15 days.  The dyed fabric is then dried in the abundant sunshine of India, as it has been for centuries.  As a final step, to create the desired softness, the fabric is beaten by hand using hammers made of tamarind wood.

Finally, all the fabrics are cut and sewn into a kaleidoscope of colorful patterns for pillows, quilts and coverlets.

And if your tastes run more towards the subtle and sophisticated, they have just come out with a new color range for Spring 2010 that is sure to intrigue you.

For information on how to purchase, or to see their entire line, visit the Rajboori website.

Pindler & Pindler has introduced a new line of luxury fabrics under the name “Pindler Green”.  Focused on natural fibers such as organic cotton and linen, Pindler has created some lovely patterns that are sure to have wide appeal, and not just to the sustainably minded.

I am particularly drawn to their suzani influenced patterns, such as Tybalt, an upholstery damask design, which is woven of 100% organic cotton and  comes in 5 colorways.

Pindler Green’s Mission Statement from their website -

“Pindler & Pindler understands that protecting the environment is not just a trend; it’s a way of life. Our mission is to be a resource to our environmentally aware designers and customers, supplying luxury fabrics woven from high-quality natural, sustainable fibers. We use only certified organic cotton, as well as linen, jute, flax, bamboo, hemp, wool and silk, all renewable and sustainable. Fabrics as nature intended are better for you, your home, and the environment as a whole.

Pindler Green fabrics meet authentic third party certification. They are produced by manufacturers meeting recognized standards for environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing processes. We use specially certified dyers specializing in low impact and non-toxic dyes and finishes that are free of all heavy metals and harmful agents. These sources use low exhaust emissions, and reduce energy consumption through the use of wind power.”

While I applaud Pindler for having a mission statement, as well as providing a good glossary of terms, I do wish they were a bit more specific as far as what certifications each fabric met, as well as showing more images of the patterns and colors available.  With luck I will be able to find out a bit more to share with you when I visit the local showroom next week.