Daisy Janie

video | cultivate a better world.

Music: "The Scientist" from Coldplay, sung by Willie Nelson

Just found this "Cultivate a Better World" video from Chipotle* posted on facebook by:

• the Organic Trade Association (of which Daisy Janie is a proud member),
• Coldplay (whose music has gotten me through some very low spots, including this very song),
• Harmony Art (a good friend & pioneer in bringing pretty organic fabrics to market), and
• Pure Fabricz (a dedicated retailer of organic fabrics & Daisy Janie distributor in the Netherlands).

This stop-motion video tells a short story about a farmer who returned to sustainable farming methods once he realized the often cruel and, equally as often, the devastating effects of factory farming.

In my experience with producing organic cotton fabrics, I am constantly, constantly (it makes it more emphatic if I use the word twice in a row) reading and educating myself on the cotton industry and its effects on the farmers, their land, the workers, us and the earth. I've had many 'bubble-over-my-head' moments like this farmer does around 1:17, where the realizations of what's actually happening out there have left me dejected and motivated to do what I can. Knowledge is powerful, and it makes me evermore steadfast in how and what Daisy Janie produces. "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Truly, I don't like to be preachy or be preached at - so I will leave this thought with you:  If you aren't already, educate yourself about how the products/foods you consume get from Point A to Point B and make compassionate, thoughtful buying decisions based upon what you learn. These small, purposeful steps will cultivate a better world for you, your family and will spill-over to the rest of us. It may not be easy and it may not be cheap on the front end - but we all pay later if the cheap, easy way continues ad infinitum. [stepping off soapbox...thanks for the help down.]

*Read more about Chipotle's efforts on Food With Integrity. Kudos, Chipotle!!

quote | choose your corner.

Thank you from the very, very bottom to the tippy-tippy-top of my heart for your kind comments, tweets and emails about Tilly's first look last week! "You like her... you really like her!" :)

I have chosen my corner.
And I pick away at it carefully.
Intensely.
To the best of my ability.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT.
And in that way, WE might change the world TOGETHER.

Cheers big ears - here's to a great week!
xo
Jan

first look | Tilly strike-offs.

I'm overjoyed to introduce you to Tilly, my next organic fabric collection for Daisy Janie. As with all my fabrics, they are 100% GOTS-Certified organic cotton ~ from planted seed to packaged bolt. Expected to ship: November 2011.

This collection brings about a change in retail pricing at $14.50/yard. A more affordable organic fabric but with the same gorgeous quality and same comprehensive organic production that you've come to expect from Daisy Janie.

Resellers/Manufacturers:
Pre-orders are now being accepted. If you are interested in stocking or working with Tilly, you may submit a wholesale application. Once approved, you'll receive access to the wholesale order form.

The Tilly fabrics are incredibly beautiful, and they leave me just about speechless when I peek at them. I realize I'm biased, but holy cannoli, it's hard to temper my passion about this collection! They mean the world to me - you can read about it here.

Tilly | Dawn Colorway

Tilly | Dusk Colorway

Fat Quarterly Designer's Challenge.

All those buttons & posies & embroidery hoops I posted about were for the latest Fat Quarterly Designer's Challenge! You can read about my project and process over at Fat Quarterly. I'm kinda in love with how it turned out - soft, feminine (but not overly so), vintage-y and completely unique.

The Gist of the Challenge.
Participants were provided with a Basic Grey Canvas Sampler and were asked to embellish however we liked! Simple enough, right? Right! With the screenprinted decorative templates on each sampler style, the canvas provides just the right amount of direction to get you going. But the canvas is still blank enough that your options are wide open, allowing you to take your project a cajillion different directions.

What would you include in your embellishments?

an uncanny resemblance.

As I was taking pics for a project (that I'll share with you on Monday), this fabric flower was cast off to the side b/c it didn't fit as I had intended. It looked so pretty in its sunny exile, so I took some pics anyway. And just beyond where this fabric flower was resting is the picture hanging below.

I was snapping, snapping, snapping, and when I lowered the camera, I noticed the striking similarity. The real blossom is from a sand cherry in our front yard. I guess sometimes our style leanings don't stray very far from what's right in front of us, do they?

Big Important P.S.
Next TUESDAY I'll be sharing Tilly photos with you! Tuesday, August 23rd. I can barely contain myself!

Have a zippety-doo-da weekend!!!
xo
Jan

new item | Bright Lights, Big City duvet cover & quilt pattern.

Bright Lights, Big City Duvet Cover & Quilt Pattern from Daisy Janie
{ Available as a downloadable pdf from Fat Quarter Shop and Daisy Janie }

With pops of rich jewel tones, glowing golds and breezy blues amidst an urban grey landscape, the bright lights of the big city come to life! Oversized blocks in a simple layout = a fast, modern project! 

It's been quite some time since I had a chance to get back to this project, and I'm so happy to annouce my first quilt pattern is complete and now for sale! Bonus: it's a duvet cover pattern, too! This pattern provides fabric requirements to make a Twin, Queen or King, backing fabric for both apps and binding & batting for quilts.

No matter what your preference, quilt or duvet, I've gotcha covered! The pattern is easy to follow and comes together quickly. To create the one pictured, I used Daisy Janie's Shades of Grey organic cotton fabrics and organic solids from various shops. The design would work well for any neutral group of fabrics paired with pops of colorful patches.

Is there a fabric kit for this pattern? Not yet. But I'm working on it!

buttons, posies and the shizzle.

I've got a serious case of the Fridays. I just finished up 2 big projects that have been looming all summer, and I feel so buoyant and carefree that I'm springing and sproinging from every cell! Pure, weightless glee - usually reserved for Fridays. And the shizzle is that I'll get to enjoy two of them Fridees in a row! Giddy-up!

(did you just try to wipe that black dot off your screen? me too, about 5 times!)

These mostly 1940s vintage buttons and the petite flower posies below were part of one project that I poked at for the past week. More on this next week. The other project is that I finished my first quilt pattern! I'm really, really stoked at how it turned out - and there will most assuredly be more about this very soon, too! Remember this sneak peek?

i've been doodled!

The effervescent Aimee at artsyville doodled me up in her new Tuesday feature, "In the Drawing Room." Go see!

For this feature, she took random snippets of info as if we were chatting in her drawing room like proper ladies, and she created a hand-drawn, hand-lettered patchwork of all the juicy nuggets. Things like: what I do when I'm mad (which I've done way too much in 2011), on what fare I judge the quality of a restaurant, where I'd like to live for a year, etc.

What Aimee couldnt' fit into her crazy doodle quilt is something I think I've hidden from you for far too long, and I think it's time I let the cat out of the bag. There's no easy way to tell you this: I was voted funniest girl of my 9th grade class. Yes, yes, it's true - they passed me over for most likely to succeed, smartest, most athletic, best musician - all the real ones. (I wonder where all those winners are now.) For this official award, I was granted the privilege of having my picture taken with the funniest boy for our school newsletter, wherein we gave each other rabbit ears for the illustrious image. Because that's what funny people do when they're on the spot. Remember that.

I must warn you, Aimee's doodles and lettering will draw you in (pun intended) in a big way! Her perspective and witty repartee add such a refreshing dimension to her work and to the creative blog-o-sphere in general. I have some of her artwork hanging around our house - the print below hangs in my studio above my sewing machine. Needs to be there. Visit Aimee's etsy shop to see all her vivid, clever doodles.

where does inspiration come from?

All sparks start with what's in your heart and soul, right now, this second.

Inspiration doesn't come from the 30 pics on your iphone, the 200 blogs you read everyday, the magazine pages tacked to your bulletin board, the art or quilt shows you visit.... you get the idea.

These things FEED what's already inside you. What you already own. They're talking to a voice deep within your SELF.

Maybe external, visual stimuli helps you define what you're feeling or gives your inner whisperings a more concrete shape. But, to be sure, your inspiration is in you, yourself and you right now. If you can't hear it, see it or find it, maybe you're looking outward too much. Look within. It's there.

Sometimes our raw & pure inspirations are squashed and choked by the barrage of imagery and words we allow in or seek out all the time. Get thee to a quiet place in nature. Settle yourself. Let your thoughts meander. Your inspiration will rise to the surface. See it. Know it. Enjoy it.

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[ 100% organic t-shirt from Ideologie ]

seeing | sundial at just the right time.

Is there ever a wrong time to see such animated, vivid colors? Not for me. I can always handle an eyeful of flowery brilliance.

Hope your weekend is full of resplendent moments!
xo
Jan