Vermont Farm Relief

Sincere thank yous and warm regards to all of my summer customers. I had a fantastic season and you all made it possible for me to raise money for the Mad River Valley Community Fund and the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund. Irene did a serious number on Vermont and none of us saw it coming. Farmers are hard-working self employed people who have no unemployment to fall back on when their crops are ruined.

It's been such a positive experience for me to participate in the Waitsfield Farmer Market. The Vermont small farm culture and local foods movement are very dear to my heart and convictions. I'm including here my socialist revival style propaganda photo which aims to glorify the small local farmer, the farm wife and the home cook, shot at the Tunbridge Hill Farm and The Frozen Butcher stalls directly across from Mountain Ash Design at the market.

12 foot rug

I finished my rug. I had no idea how long it would be when I took it off the loom. It is 12 feet long. Not really long enough to be a full stair runner, but it fits perfectly in the hallway of my house. These photos were taken at Altus Healing Arts in Chelsea Vermont.


I'm happy with it. During each weaving session I was having my doubts. Being the frugal gal that I am, I used all my discard fabric for this rug, things I did not like enough to use for other projects. When weaving, the materials are a foot or so from my eyes so I was having many thoughts along the lines of, "These fabrics are so ugly. I am making an ugly rug."


But now that it's on the floor I am not seeing the "ugliness" of the prints, just areas of color, and it's pretty nice. I'm happy with my choice of the "peacock" and "duck" colored warps which I alternated to get a light teal-ish color that unifies the whole thing. Don't I look proud of myself? I hope to get back to Altus to do more weaving in the fall.

Domestic Robot exhibit at Frog Hollow

If you find yourself in Burlington this month (that would be July 2011) take a stroll down Church Street to Frog Hollow, the Vermont State Craft Center.


Through the front window you'll see captivating and comical robots by John Brickles attired in sustainably created aprons by yours truly. It is a great honor for me to be paired with John in this two person show at the gallery.


For this series of retro-inspired aprons I collected skirts, button-down shirts, and home textiles from local thrift stores over the past year, then added vintage fabrics from my own stash and trimming from my production of wrap skirts.


Each apron is one of a kind, made entirely from textiles that may have otherwise been wasted, certainly transformed from their original intent.


Also on display and for sale in the front of the gallery are my signature wrap skirts, HotHolders(tm) and key fobs. Show runs through July. If you can't make it to Burlington have a look at the photo album of the aprons I created for the exhibit.

Craft Fair Couture: Twist 6

Twist 6 kicked off my Spring/Summer vending season last weekend. There were many well-dressed vendors there and by the end of the show lots of well-dressed customers, too. I had empty bins to bring home!



Enjoy the looks below:


Crispina ffrench wearing one of her sundresses made from soft upcycled t-shirts. I have been in the process of owning a Crispina sweater since Twist 5 (the mysteries of barter, folks) and then I made one at one of her workshops. I think that's when I realized I am officially a collector of American handmade apparel.


Vermont's own Nicloe Carey at her first Twist!


Nicole Blum of one golden apple. When I arrived on Friday to set up I spied a few apparel-makers who were not at Twist 5 and immediately started scheming about trades. Nicole walked away with a white paisley MAD skirt and she's making me a dreamy blue dress.


Best Dressed Crafter at the show, Shannon Herrick of The Spun Monkey. I dig the way she rocks those grass socks and fringy cut-off jeans under her skirt. She is also very well accessorized.


Another trade/score was had by me and Caitlin of Jupitergirl. Her skirts made from t-shirts are so comfy and fit really well. That's the teal/green/charcoal one I picked out lying on her table there. My daughter asked to borrow it before she even saw it based on my description alone and she wore it to school today.


The super cute Heather Toupin of Heatherjeany rocking her Vans, tattoos, and feather hair extensions.


Maeg of Edison Rex in a perfect fit dress from the Salvation Army.


Last but certainly not least: Shahan Rose at her display of hand-painted handbags. She's wearing the MAD skirt she got at Twist 5, plus a really cool wrappy top. Quite adorable.

If you would like a wardrobe update also, visit and "like" the Mountain Ash Design page on facebook soon. I am about to launch a Spring Special there: free domestic shipping for facebook fans and 10% off if you are involved in hooking up new fans. This special is through June 15 so go ahead and get in on the action Now. See you there!

Twist preview

Twist VI is coming at the end of this week!


Come see me and lots of other unique and lovely handmade items at the Northampton Center for the Arts on Friday night and Saturday. I'll be in the West Gallery this time. Make your way through the party in the disco ball-adorned middle room, then take a breather and enjoy some elbow room in the relative cool and quite of the windowed West Gallery. There will be plenty to room for trying on skirts.


At Twist V last November there was a "Vermont Block." I don't know exactly where my home-state peeps will be set up, but I'm super excited to be there with them. Be sure to check out the Vermont talent: COOB Originals, Recycle Moe, and Nicole's Threads.


I have been blessed by all of the time I've gotten to spend in the studio lately. I'm bringing many new prints to my Twist customers, and have been enjoying pairing them with vintage fabric finds and cast off clothing in need of repurposing. These photos are a little sneak peek.


Whoops - Windy! I had the barn door slid wide open to let in all the good spring daylight for this photo shoot. All the other pictures were taken between gusts. See you in Noho.

Earth Day Upcycle Fashion Show at Alchemy Initiative

My assignment from Alchemy Initiative: "Create upcycled garments using only locally sourced repurposed materials." So I made these three aprons from button down shirts I bought at the Listen Thrift Stores of White River Junction, VT and Lebanon, NH. I trimmed them with the piecey remains and collars from other button-down shirts plus bits cut from vintage curtains and dressed. Materials used for interfacing and linings used to be household linens.

I had to go out and buy shirts, even though I have piles of previously scored ones in my workshop because..."Provide high-resolution photos of the original materials before deconstructing them, to be part of the backdrop slide show playing during the fashion show." All my piles of thirfted shirts already have the collars and cuffs carefully removed and serged for trimming skirts. Those piles are dwindling fast as I convert the shirts into sashes for skirts.

These aprons plus many more wonderful inventive upcycled creations by a whole bunch of designers will be featured in Alchemy Initiative's Earth Day Upcycle Fashion Show this Friday.

Come bid on them as part of their Silent Auction fundraiser directly after the show, then boogie down with me and all the other folks at the Dance Party to follow. Come back the next day for a Clothes Swap extravaganza!

Having a Grandma Moment

I have started weaving a rag rug. A really, really long one. In my grandmother's house in Maine there was a rag rug stair runner going from the kitchen up to the long chamber. This was the indoor realm of young grandchildren during summer visits before we graduated to the barn bedrooms as teenagers. I always loved that stair runner. I don't remember there being any other woven rag rugs in the house, but there were many beautiful hooked rugs and a few braided rugs, all of which she made, of course, from repurposed materials. As I have said to anyone who wants to talk to me about my creative inspiration, my maternal grandmother, Marion Brown Curtis, Is It. She was a necessary DIYer of a different generation and she had a great aesthetic. When I was very young she still had two floor looms set up in the long chamber, one quite large. She wove that stair runner on one. She also wove fine wool yarn into subtly patterned cloth which she then made into smart suits that she wore to town and church.


The prominent staircase in my home is in great need of an upgrade in covering. I have a lot of clothing and other cast off textiles I have accumulated over the years that I know I will not use for sewing projects. So I recently started taking a weaving class at Altus in Chelsea, VT. I've never woven on a floor loom before. After the warp was on and I had a few hours of weaving under my belt (and as much time prepping my materials - I hadn't thought about how long this aspect of the project would take) I realized it is going to take me a long time to finish this project. And that's okay. I imagine it probably took Grandma many weeks, if not months, maybe even a year, to finish her rug. She had a lot of other things going on in her life, too. I expect it to take me much of a year to finish my rug, if not longer. I like that I'm going to have a similar experience I imagine Grandma did. When I can I will make the time to prepare my materials: further deconstructing shirts I've taken the collars and cuffs of off, stripping old skirts and curtains, sewing these together into long lengths when I know I'll soon have time to weave. I'm feeling very happy and fortunate on many levels to have this going on in my life.

blooogerrrrzz

I want to extend a sincere appreciation to Jen and Jean at Gingham Style. I met them at the Cabin Fever show and we instantly bonded over our shared love of gingham. I thank them very much for the charming write-up they gave me on their blog. For the best guidance and the most fun antiquing in Brimfield, MA I would sign up for their bus tour!

Also, Lauren at You Had Me At Handmade put me in her recent "weekly obsession" collection of skirts. Take a peak - my grey kiku is in good company.

Blog on, you all.

Craft Fair Couture: Cabin Fever at the Catherdral High School Gym

Love was in the air at SoWa's Cabin Fever Indie Craft Fair in Boston last week. And it took place in the Cathedral High School gym. Kind of weird for me since I attended a Cathedral High School (in Duluth, Minnesota). There were all the banners on the walls chronicling their victories in the Catholic Urban and Suburban Leagues.

Since this is part of my Craft Fair Couture series I'm going to write about what people were wearing. Here are Sara and Phil of Rocks and Salt; Matt rocking his purple sweater and plaid scarf, Sara forever cutting an elegant tomboy figure. I seem to have been following them around to shows this past year: Twist, BUST, now here we were neighbors at my first show in Boston since Bizarre Bazaar in 2005. I had hat shopping frustrations during BUST where I couldn't get away from my table long enough to pick one, so I made a decision right away here.

I am so happy about my new hat! And my new collapsable, rolling, tough-as-nails garment racks.

Jen of Zooguu in her Mountain Ash Design skirt that she got at the Queen City Craft Bazaar last November in Burlington.

My little Zooguu elephant. Wearing his perfect birthday suit and fancy ears.

Here is AnYa BredBeck of RequiemFineArt pulling off all her statement pieces. It's a statement outfit really. Her ethereal spoon pendants with bits of long lost and forbidden love letters are complete treasures. It's a very compelling story and creative project.

Preparations are in the final stages for a weekend of vending events for Mountain Ash Design. Get your apron-inspired wrap skirts in Norwich and Boston. Don't forget: Sashes are made from vintage and recycled fabrics, mostly button-down shirts I source from local thrift stores. Trimming below the sash are shirt collars and cuffs. Skirts are made from new designer fabrics. All skirts are one of a kind, just like you.

I've really been enjoying my recent time in the studio and have many new one of a kind skirts to offer this weekend. Locals can find me at the Norwich Farmer Market tomorrow from 10-1 in Tracy Hall.

Bostonians can find me at the Cabin Fever Indie Craft Fair on Sunday.
I'm excited to try out my new super sturdy collapsible racks. Figuring out how to fit it all into my 7' x 7' allocated space at Cabin Fever.


Not sure where my awesome new mirror will fit in. Richard built me a handy easel to hold it at just the right angle and height.

The MAD stall at these shows will include a traveling winter clearance department! Featuring winter weight skirts in three lengths, plus super summery lovelies for your upcoming warm climate vacation. Like the Waldorf-inspired rounded corners on my signs?

Can't make it to Norwich or Boston? Visit my online shop any time of the day or night (find a coupon code on the front page of this here blog). I'm listing new items regularly so check back often.

Shake off those mid-winter blues with a trip to the Cabin Fever Show in Boston on February 13th. I'm planning my sale rack for the show as I write this. You can get a jump on that by visiting the Clearance section of my Etsy shop right now. Get an additional 9% off any item by using the coupon code BLOG09 at check out. Just a little something to say, "Thanks for checking in," to my blog readers. Happy Winter!