Tuesday, March 22, 2011

All about Hemp Fabric

We've been using hemp and hemp blended with other fibers including rayon, silk, cotton, and even nettle (once ! ) for quite awhile now at the Clothing Design Studio.  We typically buy it in the natural pfd (prepared for dyeing) state from one of two or three online sellers. The U.S. government doesn't permit the hemp plant that fiber is made from to be grown in this country so all of it still has to be imported, usually from China, Romania or Canada.  ---- Even though it is only a distant cousin to the marijuana plant.
I came across this blog entry through our facebook page   The bloggers write about all aspects of organic clothing; in this case it's a REALLY in-depth post about hemp fabric .  

The picture shows one of our square neck tunics made in natural hemp summercloth.  It has an insert panel of hemp/rayon which was stitched by Linda using nui shibori and dyed in natural indigo.


http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/12/hemp_facts_on_t.html

Monday, March 14, 2011

Hand dyed hemp remnants from many seasons of natural fiber garments!

Hand dyeing hemp fabric for spring/summer jackets

We have purchased yards and yards of 100% hemp canvas fabric in its natural state and have been in the process of dyeing 3 yard lengths each a different gorgeous color for the spring/summer season. We'll be creating hip length 3 season jackets in the 5 colors we've chosen. We're using our Seattle coat pattern but in a shorter form. Each jacket will be made unique by embellishing it with strips of vintage ikat from Indonesia or kasuri  from Japan. They will make their debut at the Rochester Folk Art Guild's  Spring Festival of Crafts at the Harley School, 1981 Clover St.,Rochester, NY on April 22 & 23.
The colors for the new jackets are spring green,  rich rosy red, deep dark walnut brown, dusty eggplant and black. I'm going to post a picture of some of the remnants of hand dyed hemp fabrics from past dye runs. If you own some of our hemp garments, maybe you'll recognize your fabric there.  ;-)
~ Claudia

Saturday, March 5, 2011

“Timeless Design in Natural Fibers ~ Fashions for Every Woman”

This is the first post in a new blog about the Natural Fiber Clothing Designs Studio.  We are part of the Rochester Folk Art Guild which is located on East Hill Farm in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of western New York state. We design and sew a line of flattering, easy to wear clothes for women.
All of our clothes are made using natural fibers – 100% hemp, various hemp blends, as well as wool, silk, rayon and tencel.  We often incorporate vintage or antique fabrics in the construction of garments and for unique embellishments. We’ve refined our designs over time so that they flatter many different body types and function well for women with varying lifestyles.  Every item is made one at a time, with care and attention to detail.
We hope to let you know more about us and our work process throughout the year.  Please check back often to see what's going on as we create the next season's line. ~ Claudia


Clothing Design Studio during 2010 Open Studio Sale