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A Year in the Life of The Bobbin
In January of 2011, I had the pleasure of participating in an episode of "Vermont Edition", our local VPR radio show. 2011 was declared "The Year of Making" through a call in show with Jane Lindholm, focusing on Vermonters growing interest in making things with our hands and a return to more traditional ways of living.  The prediction has certainly rung true for me... This "Year of Making" has brought forth not just one, but TWO Slow Fashion Collections; including dozens of new patterns created for sustainable textiles. I also created a series of Sustainable Sculptures and designed/produced custom jersey tanks for our local roller derby team, The Green Mountain Derby Dames!  The Derby Tanks are "Green Mountain" green with a black racing stripe down each side. The fabric is a super stretch athletic performance material, made right here in the grand ole' U.S.A.! It was a real treat for me to work on a local level and become a corporate sponsor of a fantastic team. The GMDD "Grade A Fancy's" certainly look fancy & fierce in their locally made custom tanks!
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美国产品 Made in America
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The first slow fashion collection of the year, "Made in America", was an exploration of the dichotomy between fashion & labor in China and America. Vintage velvets, velours & plenty of sweet stripes accent this sustainable line of ECHO tops, Swing Skirts, Art Jackets & fuzzy Vermont Panda hats.
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Lake Champlain: After the Flood
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The second slow fashion collection is inspired by Lake Champlain : After the Flood.The Collection explores the strength and resilience that help us move through mourning and overcome loss. The Lake Gowns' languid lines are broken by the rigid structure of the tailored pants and vests in motion. These original custom designs were created with all sustainable textiles including vintage silks and wools from the 1930's and 1940's.  
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| Gyllian's Sustainable Sculptures - Art Hop 2011 |
I was also able to expand my artistic horizons this last year to create a series of sustainable sculptures created from found and recycled objects, including many sticks, stones, barks & branches scavenged from wake of Lake Champlain's Flooding & Hurricane Irene. 
Living on Lake Champlain will, I'm certain, continue to inspire my designs for decades to come.
The languid lines of the Lake Gown are the apex of the entire collection. A marriage of turquoise cotton & silver silk this gown explores the crossroads of strength crashing against mourning.
Tom's of Maine Blog Posts2011 brought along two opportunities to bring The Bobbin's message of sustainable fashion to Tom's of Maine's eco-friendly fans. In March, I wrote a post explaining the concepts and ideas behind Slow Fashion and its relationship to other "Slow" movements.
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Photo: Kristin LaMonde
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Click this link to read post: What is Slow Fashion? 
In September, I wrote another post: DIY Let's Make Sustainable Napkins. A step-by-step tutorial (with fun pictures)
Wanna make your own sustainable napkins? CLICK HERE
7 Day's Presents: Strut VI!
  This year marked the 6th year of Burlington's very own fashion show STRUT! A popular attraction of SEABA's South End Art Hop, this years show was the biggest and best yet. Sponsored by Seven Days and showcasing twenty designers, this years STRUT! really rocked the runway.
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| Photo: Eva Sollberger of Seven Days |
In honor of 7days Newspaper's "Sweet 16" birthday. I designed this paper skirt. Individual panels are created from folded sheets of newspaper, specifically selected for their color & content. The panels are sewn together and hand-painted.
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