The New York Fiberscape Dress is finally complete! This was my first time making a garment entirely out of my hand-spun yarns, and it took a lot of determination and patience. I was motivated to work on it even though it was very labor intensive (over 800 yards of yarn plus hand-knitting!) because I was able…
Tag: care
Natural Dye Exhibit
This Fall I took a Natural Dye special studies course led by Professor Denise Green in Fiber Science & Apparel Design at Cornell. Each week, students presented about different natural dyes including Japanese Indigo, Madder Root, Eucalyptus, Onion Skins, and Gypsywort. It was fun to see the variety of colors, and learn about their seasonality….
Wool Day in Ithaca!
Today I was happy to celebrate Wool Day in Ithaca! There was a small festival where I got wool, mohair, and alpaca roving from the Laughing Goat Fiber Farm, thanks Lisa! I plan to use the fibers in an upcoming natural dye student exhibit and show fibers from animals raised on the same farmland and in Ithaca….
Part III: New York Fiberscape Dress Almost Complete!
I previously wrote about my spinning and knitting processes with fibers sourced from the Washington County Fiber Tour. I am happy to say that it is 99% complete! The dress fits my twin sister comfortably. I was worried that it would be too large since my knitting gauge varied based on the yarn. In total…
Season for Fibers – Fingerlakes Fiber Festival!
The Fingerlakes Fiber Festival was my first festival of the fiber season. I got to see a lot of familiar faces and I stocked up on a variety of wools from unique sheep breeds including Hog Island Sheep, Icelandic Sheep, and Blue Face Leicester Sheep. Thanks Fingerlakes Woolen Mill, Trinity Farm, and High Bid Farm! I am…
Part II: New York Fiberscape Clothing & Textiles
An update about the NY Fiberscape Dress that I wrote about earlier in the summer. I knitted some swatches with stockinette and cable stitches to figure out the knitting gauge. I liked how they both turned out, so I decided to make the dress in stockinette stitches, and create the cables in a knitted cowl made of…
Solace project
Earlier this year I wrote about India Flint’s Solace project that promotes international peace. It welcomed everyone to send a flag with a message for a “collective impromptu poem recorded on cloth to sing in the winds.” I sent a fiber flag made of wool, alpaca, and mohair fibers. Today received the postcard, and also…
New York Farm Sanctuary
Today I visited the Farm Sanctuary headquarters in Watkins Glen New York. It rescues and provides a high quality of life for animals that are donated, abandoned or were previously abused in factory farms. On a tour, I got to see, touch the animals, and also hear about their life histories before and after coming to…
Tour De Fleece 2015
Over the past month, I’ve been spinning along with the #spindlers Ravelry group during the Tour de Fleece (July 4 to July 26). The Tour de Fleece is a nod to the bicyclists in the Tour de France. As they spun their bicycle wheels, fiber spinners around the world spun their wheels, or spindles. It was…
Part I: New York Fiberscape Dress
Over the past few weeks I have been hand-spinning with fibers collected during the Washington County Fiber Tour, and fibers in my stash. In total I spun 449 yards of yarn. My goal is to create enough hand-spun yarns for a New York Fiberscape Dress. The Dress is meant to draw attention to the variety of natural…
Fibers for “Solace”
This fiber flag was made to contribute to India Flint’s open “Solace” artistic project in response to the global and local distresses of the 21st century, including inequality and injustice. “Solace” provides everyone the opportunity to express what gives them comfort, or consolation. My “Clusters of Love” flag is made of local wool and mohair fibers….
Exploring New York Fiber Farms @ Washington County Fiber Tour 2015
Visiting the sheep, alpaca, and goat fiber farms during the Washington County Fiber Tour in New York was the highlight of my year so far! Each farm had a unique narrative with fiber animals ranging from Merino sheep to Huacaya alpacas and Cashmere goats. This reflects the wide breadth of fibers available in New York. During the Fiber…
Fashion Revolution Day ~ Less than 2 weeks away!
On the 2nd anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, Fashion Revolution Day campaigners are asking brands to #payup and provide compensation to victims and their families. Below are photographs posted on social media to support Fashion Revolution Day efforts. Posted on April 6 to April 12, 2015.
Engagement with Fiber Animals- Connecting to New York City
Animal fibers are “living” extensions of the animals they come from, especially as the animals live long lives on farms. Community members are increasingly being exposed to fiber animals such as sheep, alpacas, and angora goats as farmers bring them to local festivals and provide updates on social media. Farmer’s physical and virtual visibility induces a climate for community and fiber animal…
Momentum towards Fashion Revolution Day 2015
These are some fashion revolution photos posted in the past week (March 30-April 5). Posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have expanded our reach to international Fashion Revolution Campaigns in Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and Bangladesh. The next step is writing to brands to increase transparency in…
HELEN TREJO 