Natural Dyeing in Rwanda

various Rwandan dye plants

I stole this link off my friend Joni's facebook page. She must read a thousand blogs and always has interesting stuff to share. This one in particular talks about contemporary textiles in Rwanda, and the introduction of natural dye traditions where there previously were none. Interesting to note that a lot of the brightly coloured "african" cloth is actually imported to Rwanda, and not produced there traditionally.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/15119/atelier-rwanda-natural-dye-in-rwanda.html

September Shop

I've recently been invited by a group of local designers to join them for the month of September at a pop-up shop project at 10th and Kingsway. The space is owned by Rize Alliance, a Vancouver-based development company that is currently donating the shop space to a variety of juried artists and community groups throughout 2011. There are a number of awesome events to check out at the Pop Up Retail Store, including the Cheaper Show on June 25th. September Shop will be a collaboration of jewelery, clothing and textile art, personal accessories, and housewares. I plan to add some new pieces by then, including two styles of dresses, a tunic-styled blouse, and wrap skirts. Stay tuned for pics of the work as it progresses.

Studio Album of the Moment

I listen to a lot of music when I'm working in my studio. My studio mate Laura McKibbon and I constantly talk about new stuff we're listening to, upcoming shows, etc. She's in Finland right now but I think she'd probably approve of my recent favourite...

I've just received news that I've been accepted to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, which is a show that  takes place over 3 days in July at Nathan Phillips Square. I'm hoping to debut my new wrap dresses there, along with scarves, blouses, and coats. For what I hear, it's an amazing oppourtunity for exposure to galleries and shops in eastern Canada and the US. Time to get busy...

Check out the show link for more info: http://www.torontooutdoorart.org/