This week I've thoroughly enjoyed Creative Spaces by Ted Vadakan + Angie Myung, the owners of Poketo. I enjoyed reading about the artists, their careers + the spaces they inhabit. The fashion was pretty inspirational as well.  :)

Protect. Restore. Fund.
See ya.
​That's a good example of how changes in the ocean can affect even people who live far from the coasts.
​Are vegan leather alternatives better for the planet?
In case this was missed over there.
Another 100% merino wool fleece jacket substitute.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Love,
Jane

...and all at once summer collapsed into fall.
​~Oscar Wilde

republic of tea:: this is the tea we've been able to source in bulk locally :: also available loose leaf in tins :: some organic + some fair-trade

arbor teas :: all organic :: many fair-trade :: backyard compostable packaging ::
they make the point that steel tins are not really sustainable, but it's never completely clear how sustainable "compostable" packaging is either :: pictures via arbor teas

I love tea...hot tea or cold tea...tea is comfort. One cool day over the weekend + I was ready for a warm drink. Tea has been something I was able to buy in bulk (scooped into my own container from home) until recently. Our grocery store closed + the new location didn't carry bulk tea (which is when I acquired those containers of tea above). After a few requests, the grocery store started offering a very limited selection. A few weeks ago, I went to buy some turmeric + all the bulk spices + teas were gone. I was told that they were removed by corporate + that there was nothing this location could do about it. It's maddening that climate change is progressing at a rapid rate, + the powers that be are just kicking progress in the teeth. Needless to say, I voiced my support for the bulk spices + drove to another store.

This article about microplastic particles shedding from some tea bags makes another strong argument for bulk tea. The best packaging is no packaging...no tea bags, no container + no post office packaging. Co-ops, health food stores + tea shops are great places to look for bulk tea. If none can be found locally, the teas above can all be found online. Make sure to choose loose leaf tea. It's easy to make using a strainer or a small tool like this (my favorite kind).

Do you have a favorite tea to share? I'd love to hear!  :)

Love,
​Jane

Thank you to some of my favorite online ladies for the affirmation that a cream quilted coat is a good idea. Mine is cut + ready to quilt. Cozy days ahead.  :)

Pattern I'm using :: Grainline Tamarack (again)
Fabric I'm using :: natural muslin that I could find + feel locally
Batting I'm using :: organic cotton batting already in my stash

Lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

At a certain point we realize that happiness
is a state of being
rather than something that is acquired.
​~Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar

I wrote these words back in March + wasn't quite sure about sharing them. Coming across them this week...somehow they feel right, so...

This planet has moved toward globalization in the past few decades. I'm old enough to have observed the change. I didn't encounter a kiwi (fruit) until I was twelve...a mango until I was married. When I was growing up I knew that tomatoes ripened in late summer + that we only ate apples in the autumn...because we could pick each one close to home. Today I can find all of those things at the grocery store in March, because they come to us from around the globe. 

Globalization has revealed that our morning cuppa connects us to coffee growers + sugar cane farmers half a world away. The tags inside our clothes reveal a fraction of just how far they have travelled from farm (or oil field) to closet. We. are. connected.

Just as all of this connection is stretching many of us to embrace the necessity of action on behalf of our sisters + brothers around the world...nationalism crashes in like a tidal wave churned up by an earthquake of fear and greed and violence and war and unrest and hunger and need.

Our focus these days is on immense issues. The global scale of the refugee crisis + climate change is overwhelming. My girls are coming of age in the midst of this. They enter spaces always with the thought of an exit strategy...the existence of an active shooter ingrained deep within their realm of possibility. They feel record breaking temperatures on either end of the thermometer becoming the norm...see wildfires + hurricanes + floods devastating disadvantaged populations with increased frequency. Closeted skeletons revealed day after day feel like evidence that the chances of finding a partner with character + integrity are near hopeless. 

Just as globalization has led many to nationalism, it is not surprising that the deluge of all of these issues has coincided with a rise in suicide rates. I know...these are heavy words. The connection I mean to make is that our issues today are big...and each of them requires action. We've become a culture of protests...and we need to speak out loudly on every issue...police brutality, immigration, racial inequity, gun violence, climate change, sexual violence, equal pay, higher minimum wage...... We need to speak up, and we need to advocate for change.

I just wonder about the toll that the enormity of all of this is taking on our children + emerging adults. I feel like I need to do more...like I need to make a difference. I feel like...otherwise, what is this life for? And I see this pull on my girls as well. They care deeply. And they are angry. And they want things to change. I'm so proud of them for that!

But...they also need to know that laughing with friends + reading good books + walking in the woods + drinking warm drinks + discovering a song + sinking bare feet into sand + turning their faces toward the sun...all of that + all of the little things...those are the stuff of living too. 

How will we measure our lives? What is a life well-lived? My hope is that we don't forget that it is both the big + the small...the global + the right here...humanity + the shoulder-to-shoulder...the planet + the single bite. There is so much to be done + there is so much to be enjoyed, observed, lived.

Love,
Jane

I try to keep this space positive, but I am telling only part of my story here. I try to stay on the side of hope...the side that believes our actions can make a difference. I try to believe that all of us here on this tiny planet can thrive together. I try to believe that my girls will have all the opportunities that I have + more. I try to focus on my own actions. I try to believe the best of people + that their logic skills are functional. I try to believe that people who spend time every week listening to the teachings of Jesus understand + believe what He said. 

But people we know carry guns to church + post fake news online + scoff at the idea of climate change. People we know defend the greedy business practices of corporations + argue that embracing renewable energy is not profitable or wise. People we know defend immigrant family separation as a deterrent + say disgusting things about gay couples that dare to look for a loving community within our church doors. People we know support this disgusting, reprehensible, lying, hateful highest elected official to which we are currently subject. People we know can't be bothered to care about who made their clothes or how much trash they send to the landfill. People we know tell us that their actions don't make a difference. People we know post pictures of their National Park vacations + then vote for politicians who deregulate protections for our streams + lakes + wild lands. So, yeah. I'm angry. A lot.

Please listen to 16 year old Greta Thunberg's speech given to the UN today. Anger is 100% appropriate. 

Photo via link.

Love,
Jane

Another quick installment of the get-it-worn chronicles. Appearance-wise, I like this top best as it was originally made. In reality, however, I was just not wearing it. Even though the fabric is very lightweight, the sleeves make it too hot for my lifestyle. The removed sleeves offer fabric for bias binding, and now I think I will actually wear this top. It'll be breezy on the hottest of days with shorts, and on cooler days it can be layered easily under a sweater with jeans. 

Sometimes it can be a bit painful to mess with a good thing, but the results may just be a bit better for getting it worn...which is the point, really.  :)

Love,
​Jane

we are so good together

Cozy socks are one of the pleasures of cooler days. Socks can be a simple way to add a playful touch to an otherwise subdued ensemble. They can be a sweet + useful gift or a necessary indulgence. Here in the USA, it is still possible to find socks made closer to home. (yay!) I hope this might also be the case elsewhere around the globe. This is a list of predominantly American sockmakers working to integrate as many of the following qualities as possible: natural materials with traceable origins, fair wages + durability (often backed by warranties or free repairs). Most of these socks do contain a bit of synthetic fiber for stretch + durability. 
​
Zkano + Little River Sock Mill :: organic cotton grown, spun + dyed in the USA :: American wool :: made in Fort Payne, Alabama :: send back spent socks for recycling :: women's, men's + children's 

Vreseis :: Sally Fox's own Californian, organic cotton...spun + knit in North Carolina :: undyed, color comes from the biodiverse cotton grown :: unisex 

​Harvest + Mill :: organic cotton grown, spun + knit in the USA :: undyed, color comes from the biodiverse cotton grown :: men's + women's

Pansy :: organic cotton :: USA grown + made :: unisex​

This post will be linked at the bottom of the ethical brands page along with a few other posts about fair items...for when they might be helpful. All lovely photos via links. Unlinked photos, mine. 

Love,
Jane