Newsletter (September 22, 2023)

Happy equinox & welcome to my newsletter! I like sharing with people, but not so much with the void that is social media, so here’s a peak into the beginning of my 29th year around the sun:
Submerged in sunflowers. Dobruja, Bulgaria.

I spent a lot of time working this summer. And almost as much time playing.

  • I spent a lot of time submerged in rivers and collecting stones on their banks.
  • I finally took my mom to Bulgaria and we spent an amazing 18 days surrounded by friends and music, and also were awestruck by some amazing textiles.

  • I got to attend a tiny Balkan music camp along the Sandy River where I played Bulgarian kaval, reconnected with friends and danced to long hours of live music.

  • I celebrated the flowers and fruits grown in the garden and foraged in forests and fields. I am especially in awe of the sulfur cosmos and indigo I planted that are giving so so much, and I cannot wait to imbue their colors into cloth.

  • I spent a lot of time organizing my thoughts and spaces to clear some room for making.

  • I reveled in the decision and the privilege to take 2 unpaid weeks off work. I worked super extra time in between but it was worth it because my life is the most important thing in my life. I used the time off to stop putting off a handful of projects, and also to make myself relax a little (a rare occurrence).

  • I wrote my first blog post about giving up on business. After so many years of side hustling, I’m leaning into making as a purely creative practice, and letting money follow if it may. I have to constantly remind myself that I don’t have to make money from my art (that’s why I have a day job), and that reminder is opening doors for my creative mind to race through.
Liberty Bits 3, 1, 2, made from tiny gifted scraps of Liberty of London fabric.

What I’m working on

  • I washed 2 giant bags of fleece from a coworker’s neighbors’ sheep, and some more from my mom’s goats. Next up, to card and spin it!

  • I am hand quilting a huge commission quilt.

  • I’ve got 3 quilts awaiting quilting, one awaiting backing, one cut and ready for piecing and so many ideas rattling around in my head!

  • I started making tiny quilts from scraps and I’m excited to continue making these quick and satisfying little cloth morsels.

 
Unbleached muslin dimpled with small hand stitched lines (back side of Liberty Bits 3, 1, 2)

What I’m enjoying

  • Being outside.

  • I just finished reading Worn by Sofi Thanhauser which follows 4 types of cloth through history, and the implications of changes in popularity and policy. If you are a person who wear clothes, it’s a worthwhile read to get a tiny peek into the issues that are woven throughout our consumption of textiles.

  • I love this Thracian harvest song Polegnala e Pschenitza.

  • My go-to pie crust recipe, perfect to envelope summer fruits in flaky crust.

Huckleberry pie, the first in a long line of birthday month desserts.

How to support me

  • Buy me a ko-fi.

  • Subscribe to my blog.

  • Chat with me about commissioning a special one just for you!

  • Shop my current offerings in Instagram highlights.

  • Shop my small collection of bags at Fiber Rhythm shop in SE PDX (in store only). New collection coming soon!


Little me in peak baba mode, date unknown. I wish I still had this tiny headscarf, allegedly given to me by my grandmother Lydia.
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