 When were you nurtured by nature?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.
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 I intend to GLOW in the darkness.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. Process I intend to balance needs and wants this month.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.  I intend to live (and dress!) my truth. 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.
I intend to invite JOY into each day.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...  I intend to conserve my Sanctuary this month.haven, a place of safety, shelter from danger or hardship" any space set aside for private use in which others are not supposed to intrude " similar idea: "frith" (old English) and "frid" or "fredent" (Swedish), denoting "animals not to be hunted, flowers not to be picked", a "peaced" place  I intend to invite PEACE into my thoughts and interactions. I'm grateful for a warm fire, a busy and contented husband, and the ability to continue creating in these times. It seems to me that if I can continue to use natural ingredients to create, I will be able to keep clear of some of the world's current difficulties. I wish for you a measure of this freedom of self-sufficiency, a space in your heart for gratitude, and PEACE.
It's planting season! I was pleased with germination rates of most of my dye plant and herb seeds, and my back has held out long enough to plant them out into the garden. Now the wonder of nature continues, and I anticipate good crops, happy dye days, and aromatic evenings making hydrosols long into the coming winter months.
I intend to show LOVE this monthI intend to show LOVE this month. Social media. If you've read my previous blog posts, you'll know I’ve been trying to find the good in it. Important revelations, tips for a better life, improved relationships....truly, I know I won't find them there. I've come to the conclusion that the reason I'm doing it is only that I don’t want to be left behind. The world has stopped. The wheel of life has nearly come to a standstill. The rat race has all but halted. Isn’t it nice?
I intend to bring ZEST to my activities each day.Last month, I set out to open up on social media in order to find the good it might do for me as a person. I can honestly say that I've tried, but have come hopelessly short of my goal. Learning has never been this difficult. I have dedicated every morning to it. looking outside on my sunny greening lawn and warming gardens, while not getting anywhere. And then the rest of the languishing country wakes up and my rural internet connection fades. That's when I take a deep breath and head outside.... ....the squirrels have left me some acorns and they're exactly what I need right now! My friend Nancy at Oasis Boutique returned some unsold Sanctuary Innerwear sets. Among these were two in which the colour had faded: indigo and woad.
I have a hard time trusting people I don't know. and that includes everyone on social media. ...Everyone except people I know or who I've met. Is this a problem? No. ...Except that I expect everyone on social media to trust me. Here I'm making a hydrosol. I'm cooking herbs in water and gathering the condensation. the ice on the pot lid cools it, so that steam becomes water. This water is full of the goodness from the plants which gave up their water-soluble constituents through the simmering process.
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AUTHOR:
I'm the designer and creator of Sanctuary Innerwear, a line of hand made clothing worn next to the skin which imparts goodness from plants through the hand-dyed and infused fabric.
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December 2020
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