I recently posted:
"I love my clothing line, Sanctuary Innerwear. That's why I'm always trying to improve it. I want it to be the best clothing ever made and worn."
As I begin the making and dyeing process for another year, I celebrate that my garden is improving in its richness, as is the biodiversity on our property. I think I'm learning that nature takes care of itself, and my job is to see where I can join in for my life and for my business. Inspired by a plentiful grape harvest, I've been learning about and incorporating fermentation into my life and work. 

And yet, much remains the same as the years move on:
-my 11 styles, colours, infusions, soaps and intentions. These have never changed, nor do I see a need for them or predict a time when they will change.
-my opening words, as I greet you, my potential customer, and the wish I leave you with as you go (which is still on my business cards).
-my guarantee and return policy (I've never declined a return, nor have I not learned something from one).

I'm perceiving other kinds of change in society that are not cause for celebration in my view, and one is with Textile Exchange and the corporate environment. My ranking in the Materials Benchmarking system has not improved, although I still rank the highest possible score for Man-made cellulosics using PFC certified sustainable fibres (Lenzing Tencel). It's disappointing to me that the focus, or what is deemed "preferred", has moved from sustainably sourced wood fibres to recycled polyester. No matter what the world's problems are, I do not wish to sew polyester, dye polyester or wear polyester, no matter how many lives it's had. My hopes of gaining FSC certification and sourcing my fabric from South America have also hit dead ends because my orders are not large enough, and so I do the best I can with the information and raw materials I have and can make.

And yet I find ways to improve in my quest to be the best garment ever made and worn. Where last year's learning was about plants and their potentialities, this year's has been about how what we think can change our outlook, and our lives. The Hero's Journey has been a jumping off point, with Jordan Peterson's "We Who Wrestle with God" a source of contemplation. I've nominated a female from folklore, history or fiction to act as an inspiration for each of the intentions of my garments, and have developed an "Aim Game" (cards) as a morning exercise to prepare oneself for the challenges of the day, and to live the intention that one is wearing. I love it, and what it has helped me work through, and am offering it for free to the right customers. I've also been successful in developing a seed starting tray from my 100% Tencel fabric scraps, and all of my seeds started indoors this spring have germinated in one of these trays. I'm planning on unveiling it at the next Guelph Organic Conference, and seeing if I can get some collaborators. I also have plans to create a compostable feminine pad this coming year.  I'm very excited by these developments and am daily grateful for how nature provides and inspires.

As I write this, we are getting our first major snow storm of winter 2023-2024. I'm glad to see the snow. Tomorrow I'll be skiing.

This fall seemed rushed, and my Targets for Nature report is quite late. The benefit is a longer perspective, with the results not just of the garden, but of our trip to Germany and late plantings.

This summer I had a very disappointing indigo crop. Although I began with a table roughly 9' long full of last year's Persecaria Tinctoria seeds and newly purchased ones, and did my utmost keeping them hydrated in the greenhouse during an absence, I managed only a half row of the plants in the garden and none matured in time before the frost. Seeing this, I went looking for alternatives, and found some. Stoney Creek Colours, an indigo grower in Tennessee, was selling off their naturally pre-reduced indigo, and I purchased all they had! This is a liquid which gives a beautiful medium blue in an easily prepared vat with the addition of only fructose and calx (lime/calcium hydroxide). I am now able to guarantee a natural indigo dyed product, but will never again have to worry about producing a vat. I'm thrilled!!!!

My trip to Germany and to the Erfurt region resulted in the purchase of woad dye powder grown in that region. This dye powder is extracted from the leaves through a process of agitation, reduction and sedimentation, and it is 100% indigotin. In preliminary vats, I've found it to be far superior in colour intensity to my own woad, and I've been able to greatly reduce the amount of thiox (thiourea dioxide) I'm using to reduce it. I will continue my experiments when the weather gets warmer, since it is an outdoor activity. Here is a video I made about this special dye. 

Some gardening successes include an abundance of weld and a huge supply of madder root (both dried for winter use). The need for biochar has increased in my dye garden, and I'm preparing to do that first thing come springtime and dry ground. I've collected a huge amount of dried brush for the purpose. I've also returned to the practice of cooking my dye plants over the outdoor fire to reduce the use of propane as a fuel. I was able to plant a large area of milkweed and tall grasses on the hill behind our house, and can't wait to see the results.

I've enjoyed some successes outside the garden as well. My application to benchmark with Textile Exchange has once again been rewarded with Level 3 (3rd year in a row!). Although the requirements were much stricter this time around, Sanctuary Innerwear has once again ranked alongside huge multinationals, and my microbusiness is on the sustainability map! In other news, our application to be considered a Managed Forest has been accepted, and we are now bound to taking care of the trees and biodiversity of our 52 acres. A personal goal along this line is to once again hear the Eastern Whippoorwill in the evenings.

I've spent the cooler days reading books (over 30 of them!) about biology, evolution, plant behaviours and benefits, and business. I've put together a presentation on my analysis of it all, including a proposal to humankind with regard to finding a reciprocal relationship with the natural world. My next post will contain more information about that, and maybe even a trailer! I've got a new website that focuses more on the benefits plants can bring us, even through our lingerie, and am concentrating on bringing these ideas to select stores and venues.

Thank you for your interest in Sanctuary Innerwear and in bringing nature to what we wear.

At the height of summer with no shortage of dry weather, I'm happy to say that the gardens are green and the birds are singing. The beauty and naturalness of our space brings me great joy. 

...but on to the science.

In December of 2022, I set some Science Based Targets for Nature using the  as a guide. I did this to challenge myself to make Sanctuary Innerwear align even further with nature, but also as a way of challenging big fashion, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) themselves.

Here I report on my progress to date.

Organic Vat Target
SDG #12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production (prevent or minimize the generation of hazardous wastes as part of an overall integrated cleaner production approach)
SANCTUARY INNERWEAR'S TARGETS:
I will eliminate the use of thiox in my indigo vats by January, 2024.
I will reduce the use of thiox in my woad vats by 50% by January, 2024.
My progress as of June 22, 2023:
I'm lagging behind on this one. I'm intimidated by what I don't know, even after so many years of experience and regular reading and experimenting. What I read online I quickly judge for validity and value, and print off what is usable and add it to my "Information" binder for reference on dye days. I've begun a dye dye-ary to log my learning. 
I started a woad vat with thiox, which dyed only a very light blue, and with most of the woad particles unreduced in the vat. I tried to revive it with fructose, which only showed some signs of life for a short while, but no bloom or surface indicators.
My woad plants (those that I didn't dig out) have gone to see while heavily covered in tulle, and I will harvest these from below the plants in the coming weeks. and use them next year. I have enough shoots for this year's dyeing.
My indigo eventually got big enough to plant out and is resilient to the sun, even while very small. The cotton seed starting medium did not work well for the indigo seeds, and only 60% of them germinated. Above you can see the madder plants at the greenhouse stage with the cotton medium. I have 1.5 rows of indigo for my use this year.

Spandex Use Target
SDG #14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
I will reduce the ratio of spandex in my fabric by 50% by the end of 2023.
My progress as of June 22, 2023
My order for this year's garments consisted of 96% Lenzing TENCEL and 4% spandex, and I will continue using this fabric as long as I can get it.

Ecosystem Targets
SDG #15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

     1. Soil Improvement Target
SANCTUARY INNERWEAR'S TARGET:
The amount of biomass in my garden soil will increase by 50% in the next 3 years.
 My progress as of June 22, 2023
All of my gardens are covered in wood chips now, which is keeping the good bugs and wter in, and the weeds out, for the most part. I've begun using compost tea as well as manure tea for watering, with good results. The plants are much shinier, and seem to appreciate the addition of healthy microbes. I'm avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and instead using the natural ways of working with plants and bugs, such as companion planting, hand removal, and pH manipulation. I've even used dog fur as a rodent/animal deterrent, and am building a scarecrow. I've changed my composting routine to include brown as well as green materials.

    2. Combating Species Extinction Target
SANCTUARY INNERWEAR'S TARGETS:
The number of bird species will increase by 25% in the next 3 years.
The area of land dedicated to medicinal plant growth and butterfly habitat will increase by 50% in the next 3 years.
My progress as of June 22, 2023
The number of birds at our property has increased a great deal, according to the Merlin bird app and our observations. We installed 8 hand made birdhouses and a bat house, and at least three of those have been occupied, with a beautiful house wren serenading us outside the bedroom window each morning. We are leaving standing timber in order to attract woodpeckers, instead of "cleaning them up". Me have completed a Managed Forest Program, which includes responsible use of trees, but also planting of medicinal plants. I have planted wild ginseng by the pond in a grove of nitrogen-rich aspen. I purchased and planted a pollinator kit from Kawartha Conservation, which includes butterfly milkweed, smoke bush, bog goldenrod, and tall grasses. 

All in all, it is a joy watching things grow and mature in partnership with nature. I've benefited from the learning, this challenge has brought me to, and all the signs indicate that nature is responding positively as well. While my friends are already enjoying harvests, I still have to wait, but I believe my advantage will come in the long run, as my ecosystem will be less reliant on me, and will operate as it was intended.

​I will report back at harvest time.

Here I have put together a survey of 12 brands which are doing similar things to me.
To qualify for inclusion brands had to have at least 3 things in common with Sanctuary Innerwear.
​They needed to be:

• offering similar pieces of clothing
• using Tencel® or other sustainable textiles (see note below on organic cotton)
• using non-toxic plant dyes
• manufacturing domestically
• certified by a 3rd party as being ecological
• purchasable using either CAD or USD
• two points for using ayurvastra!! (from which my idea for infusing came)

Use this chart to weigh your priorities and make decisions on your purchases. 
What concerns you: pollution, water scarcity, human rights, increased dependence on oil?

Sanctuary Innerwear is the only brand of lingerie that boasts transparency, consistent and pervasive sustainability and social responsibility. You CAN have it all! 
​

*total CO2 emissions per ton of fibre, including crop cultivation, harvesting, fibre production and spinning (note the difference between organic cotton from US and India):

USA organic cotton 2.35 kg 
US conventional cotton 5.9 kg
India organic cotton 3.8 kg
Tencel® 1.2 kg

Shen, Li & Patel, Martin. (2010). Life Cycle Assessment of man-made cellulose fibres. Lenzinger Berichte. 88: 1–59. ​
       

Has the snow brought those familiar feelings of comfort and joy to you?
Does the sunshine bring warmth and energy on its beams?
When you dress in your Sanctuary Innerwear each morning or evening, are you reminded of your positive intentions?

Our clothes do so much for us, in addition to warming and covering us. 
Well made clothes in sustainable fabrics without chemical dyes and surfectants allow our skin to breathe and move freely. They allow us to discover and express our true nature, and to immediately associate with others of like mind. They comfort us and pamper us tenderly. 

I write this on Hallowe'en night. 
A stranger one than usual.
We found other ways to trick and treat. 
Working with teens, I demonstrated the magic of dyeing.  

My habits are changing.

As I head back to work and reconnect with the wider world, I notice that the things I value have silently undergone change.
Covid has had an impact on my dressing and shopping habits.

I still enjoy fashion and can't help but notice and assess new styles: elements of art recombined, repositioned.
Suddenly, however, I'm not being swept into the rushing stream.
​Suddenly, I'm holding on to something bigger, stronger. My coverings are more me.

I've put together a collage of pieces of my wardrobe worn this past month, Kate Fletcher's words milling around in my brain. Thinking that if I'm ever done with these clothes, I'll make a quilt out of them. Each square a life lived, and still covering.

My covid clothes will soon no longer be needed. 

For one half year (!) my life happened in these clothes.
​
​As the time unfolded, my clothes gave, asking nothing in return, not even to be folded.

I've been reading Kate Fletcher's "Wild Dress: Clothing the Natural World" (Uniformbooks, 2019), the first autobiographical writing from this Professor of Sustainability, Design and Fashion (University of the Arts, London, England). Her words have deepened my understanding of the relationship between our clothes and the natural world, and have enriched my holidays. In my remaining writing of 2020, I will do my best to interpret her words and apply the concepts to my Sanctuary Innerwear blog for you.

Here we are at the height of summer. The sun has been with us for most of June and July, offering light and warmth to lift us up, and possibly a defense against our current illness. My gardens are full and green, and it's a JOY to gather the leaves and flowers to make Sanctuary Innerwear each morning. Today I foraged this year's first armful of goldenrod and smelled its pungent, fresh aroma in the early morning dew. It brings me JOY to show you the process of dyeing in this blog, so please read on...