
Thursday, May 31, 2007
if you're in LA this weekend...

Tuesday, May 29, 2007
fabric printers
the first comes from jason at rag & bone bindery, via amy. she read about it on the r & b blog, and then i contacted him to find out the contact info. here is what he said:
Hello!this next one comes from my friend chris at Pintura Studio:
This is Jason from Rag & Bone, you asked about the fabric
printers I wrote about on the Rag & Bone Bindery blog...
The fabric printers are really sweet. They were kind to
offer the 50¢ tour. I think you have to be a designer
or manufacturer to appreciate a behind the scene tour of
a fabric printer, but I loved it. If you would like to
talk to them, here is their contact information:
Decorative Screen Printers
http://www.decorativescreenprinters.com/
Contact: Christine Alessio 860 889 5461 X5984
Christine can tell you more about the printing minimums,
but hand printing starts at something like 300 yards,
and machine printing at around 1,000 or so. Of course
the more you print, the less per yard. Overall it's
not as expensive as you might think.
Good luck. Please mention my name if you call Christine.
And let me know if you print your fabrics!
Cheers,
Jason
and this one comes from caitlin:
someone emailed me this link to a place that prints fabrics in San Fran. the prices seem pretty good. I thought maybe you could post it on the blog. anyway the website is: www.zoo-ink.com
lastly, my friends wolfy and kayrock have a screenprinting business right here in williamsburg called kayrock screenprinting. they do spot-printing, not repeating yardage. their specialties are t-shirts and concert posters.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
sidewalk sale and lemonade stand!!!
SAPLING SIDEWALK SALE and LEMONADE STAND!
when: sunday, may 20 1-6pm
where: treehouse, 430 graham avenue (between withers and frost) in the lovely Williamsburg
just a hop and skip from the Graham stop on the L
what: REAL lemonade and baked goods, samples, overstock and past seasons' merch from hodge podge, becky lee, sirius and 31 corn lane, bric-a-brac, surprise sale items from the depths of the treehouse, and a secret treasure chest of goodies! don't miss out!
why: support your local independent designers and makers!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
cherry blossom SUCCESS!
as you can see, the cherry blossom circus last friday was beautifully chaotically fun and entertaining! we're not entirely sure everyone fully understood that this WAS the fashion show, but i feel certain that everyone who came had a great time! the saplings were in full force: siri, erin and rebecca did a marvelous job making it all happen, erika, amy and hanna graciously modelled, amylou assisted with makeup and kept the backstage spirits up, and bobbi, feral childe, sirius and hodge podge showed clothes. special thanks to camilla for the makeup which really transformed the models into gorgeous otherworldly beings! and of course, thanks to all of the non-sapling models, designers, participants and supporters as well. you can see lots more photos here and here...
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
cherry blossom circus
come one, come all to the first night of Williamsburg Fashion Week! treehouse and sodafine are joining forces to bring you "Cherry Blossom Circus", the fashion show to dazzle all fashion shows. this japanese-inspired circus will tempt with fire-dancers, performing poodles, lion-tamers, stilt-walkers and more that we aren't at liberty to divulge... and they'll all be wearing wares from designers found at Sodafine and Treehouse. watch them reveal the handmade and one-of-a-kind creations that make both of these Williamsburg boutiques such unique destinations...in the most delightful way! participating designers include Feral Childe, Laurel Wells, Bobbi, Hubris and Homefries, Popomomo, Margarita Saplala, Sirius, Hodge Podge and more!
marvel at the explosive color, sights and sounds!
celebrate all the mad creativity blossoming in Williamsburg this spring!!!
210 Kent Ave at Metropolitan Ave
p.s.: it's free! and there'll be drinks! and bellydancing fashion and after-party dance-party afterwards.... so super-duper enticing... bring a hot date! or find one!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Organic Cotton Sources





Organic Cotton Plus
Hi pals here is a great source for Organic denim, cotton, muslin, flannel, sheeting, trim, batting & thread (I am sure I am forgetting something?) They have no minimums & they will send you a swatch of every fabric in their inventory for $7.50
Fox Rich Organic
Here is another place that was recommended to me. They carry some of the same fabrics and they are much cheaper with the 500 yard minimums...that's if you want 500 yards!
Check it out...I love the organic THREAD YAY!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
minutes of 3/25 meeting
our march meeting was held at unofficial SAPLING headquarters treehouse. in attendance were myself, siri, barbara (resplendent in her own clothing, top left, and more of hers on the mannequin, top right), amy, caitlin and erika (who couldn't resist trying on this new pink sirius confection with hand-crocheted straps).
our first matter of business was renegade. it was decided that treehouse/sirius/becky lee will be one booth, hodge podge and bobbi clothes will share, and 31 corn lane will have its own booth. raeburn ink and a.s.i.s. will also share a booth. applications were submitted by the april 1st deadline.
next i did a show-and-tell with some examples of work i have done for textile design at various freelance jobs. this is an area that seems like it could work for many of us as flexible additional income, so i brought in some samples to show those who weren't familiar. we discussed attending the print show in april, printsource, to check out some different studios.
we also set a date for our First Annual SAPLING Sidewalk Sale at treehouse. it will be sunday may 20 from 1 to 6: mark your calendars! we'll be selling samples and past seasons' stock, and maybe some lemonade and treats...
caitlin shared her idea for an open-source online picture collection, providing visual reference for artists and designers. she is still trying to come up with a name for it, and requests that anyone who wants to send her photos at caitlin@mociun.com
finally, we set the date for our next meeting as sunday april 29th at the 31 corn lane headquarters.
Friday, April 13, 2007
VBS.TV "Toxic Brooklyn the story of Williamsburg & Greenpoint"
Hi fellow saplings! my name is Amy Lou and at times I can be a maker of things...those times are when I have time. So I am sorry that this is more of an informative "oh my gosh" post than a crafty knowledge post but we (me 'n cal) felt that y'all would probably want to see this 6 part documentary on Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Here is the link for the other 4 that have been made
So maybe my next post will be about some happy stuff, like chihuahua's, kitty's & bunny's or a 90% off sale on Noro yarn, yeah right?
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
3rd Annual Brooklyn RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR!
Hi Everyone!
First of all, a huge thanks to our vendors and everyone who came out and supported the first ever Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in Chicago a few months ago! It was a huge success and we plan on making it an annual event!
The applications for the RCF Brooklyn '07 fair are now available! The fair is scheduled for the weekend of June 16 + 17 at the McCarren Park Pool, just a few blocks away from last year's location. Read more about the pool here --> mccarrenparkpool.org
You have until April 1 to get your application in so get to it! And we'll be announcing some advertising and promotional opportunities soon so stay tuned...
Thanks + talk to you soon!
Sue + Kathleen
so, fellow saplings, who's in? last year, siri, rebecca, elyse, nan, hanna and i shared 2 booths, and jen and angie were also there. the fee has gone up slightly this year, to $200 per 10x10 space (was $150) but that's still pretty good for the size and for 2 days (compared to same price for just a table at Craftacular for ONE day). i am a little bummed that it will be in the POOL this year as i love the grassy park with its nice shady trees especially since it has been hotter than hades the last 2 years, but i think the parks dept. didn't want them to do it there anymore.
our next meeting probably won't be until the end of this month so we need start figuring this out sooner so we can get the app in that week. let me know if you are interested...
you can find lots more info here...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
shoes
Monday, February 19, 2007
minutes of 2/4/07 meeting
our first topic was the introduction of two new saplings. first is angie, of a.s.i.s. (angela spencer's irresistable stuff) who participated in our sample sale back in november. she told us a little about her business and her goal of selling to more stores this year. the second is alisa, who is based in L.A. and will be one of our west coast correspondants. alisa is a multi-media artist and designer.
we also bid farewell (geographically speaking) to jen of raeburn ink. jen is moving to humboldt county in northern california and we will miss her, though like alisa and alice, she can still be an active SAPLING through the blog! we look forward to seeing how raeburn ink will emerge as a california company.
next we each reviewed our accomplishments in 2006 and our plans and goals for 2007. this conversation segued into one about designing textile swatches to be repped by a print studio, which seems like a flexible and fun possible source of extra income that several of us are interested in pursuing...
sales venues were also discussed. i personally am planning to open an etsy shop as a way to sell odds and ends and pieces that come back from consignment at the end of each season. several of us expressed a desire to transition from selling our goods on consignment to wholesaling them outright. caitlin advised skipping a season in order to make a collection of samples 6 months ahead (fashion week schedule), when stores are placing orders. we also talked about showrooms vs. repping ourselves, and sharing space during trade shows (ideally nearby but not IN the show as they are prohibitively expensive for most of us) to show our collections to buyers.
we are hoping to have another sample sale this spring, on the sidewalk outside treehouse.
finally, lena showed us her studio and gave us a sneak preview of her upcoming book. it may still be top secret so i won't say any more for now, but we'll keep you informed as it progresses for sure...
i think that covers it, but as usual, if i left anything out, please post it!
Friday, February 16, 2007
seen these shoes?

hi saplings
i'm doing a project with canvas slip-on shoes, and i'm looking for this one style, that has a little bit of gathering across the top.... i found a small photo of them online, but the link didn't work. does anyone know where i can find them? i've seen them before, i think at dollar stores (and maybe in chinatown?) but now that i need them, i'm not sure where to go. any suggestions?
thanks!
lena
Thursday, February 01, 2007
ethics vs. style

some of you know that for the last year-and-a-half or so, i have vowed to myself to stop buying clothing manufactured in sweatshops by huge corporations. actually, i'm not really buying any new clothes at all unless they are made by someone i know, or another small, independent designer. my goal is to have my wardrobe consist solely of self-made, indie or vintage! that will be a great feeling. there are a few categories i've considered exceptions to the rule... things that i've always considered difficult to make like bras, jeans, coats, though eventually i hope to conquer each of these areas too (check these out! i definitely need to try 'em...)
anyway, shoes are an area i haven't quite figured out how to deal with. in particular, i've been in need of some new sneakers for many years now, but never seem to find any that i like. and now that i've started walking to the Y, my old thrifted sneaks that i've been wearing for over 10 years just aren't cutting it anymore. so in december, i was on the subway and saw a girl wearing the pumas pictured above. it was love at first sight: the colors (with no jock-ish white anywhere on them!), the metallic leather, the slip-on factor, and that je ne sais quoi... i was smitten. so i went online and looked them up, and found that they were still available and reasonably priced. but this little voice kept nagging at me, telling me i'd better dig a little deeper and find out more about Puma, knowing in my heart it would lead to nowhere good. but i kept hoping, thinking 'hey, they make that yoga line with christy turlington, so they must be ethical, right?' but sadly, i found out the bad news: according to co-op america, 'Puma has been repeatedly implicated in egregious violations of workers' rights in China, El Salvador, Indonesia and Mexico. A 2003 Sustainability Report makes it sound like Puma is beginning to work on improvements. And Puma has made moves to remove vinyl from its shoes. But it appears that Puma has a long way to go before it becomes a green company.' sigh.

so where does that leave me? i decided to check out what simple has to offer. these are my favorites, but somehow they just don't make my heart race like the pumas do! their reputation, however, is stellar. this whole thing makes me feel so shallow... it's like choosing between the hot trampy girl with the criminal past and the virtuous girl next door. ack! it's a micro-example of an issue i've encountered more and more recently: why does ethical design seem always to have that 'crunchy' esthetic? i hope this will start to change as labels like 'green', 'sustainable', 'organic', etc become more in demand as well as more available. any advice or suggestions of other ethical shoe companies would be hugely appreciated. in the meantime i'll be hobbling to the gym in my treadworn old kelmes...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
don't support cheapthreads.com!
everybody know about an unfortunate situation that has come about recently.
At the end of September, my former trusted office manager and right hand
woman, Carolyn Gagnon (and her boyfriend, Paul Amos, who was my website
editor), abruptly quit after 9 months of employment with no notice while I
was away on a business trip. They gave no indication that they were unhappy
with their jobs and acted completely normal until the day they both left.
Sadly, I have learned that Carolyn and Paul have recently opened an online
fabric store, CheapThreads.com - http://www.cheapthreads.com , that sells a
lot of the same merchandise from the same vendors as I do and uses design
elements and text that are uncannily similar to (or the same as) Reprodepot.
I found it by chance this past weekend through an online forum that
mentioned Reprodepot and Cheap Threads in the same thread. When I went to
the website I was struck by the eerie similarities in the layout and text,
but when I looked at it further I realized that a lot of the text and layout
was copied from Reprodepot. I looked up the owner of the domain name and to
my dismay, Carolyn Gagnon is listed as the owner.
There are plenty of other websites out there that sell the same products as
I do at a lower price. I don't have a problem with that, since she obviously
has the right to sell fabrics online. What upsets me is the betrayal and the
blatant use of my business model and practices that I have worked more than
8 years to develop and fine tune. She knows everything about my company and
I paid her to learn it! I considered Carolyn and Paul part of my family and
had trusted them implicitly. They were compensated very well for the work
they did for me even though they came to me with no experience whatsoever
for the positions they held. It makes my stomach hurt.
Unfortunately for me, I did not get Carolyn or Paul to sign a non-compete
agreement while she was working for me. (In fact, one of Carolyn's jobs was
to ask every employee to sign one. Yes, I have kicked myself hundreds of
times this week for not just doing it myself.)
Fabrics are my life. I am obsessed with prints and patterns and I am living
my dream. I am sorry for sounding so dramatic, but honestly I feel that what
she is doing is mocking everything I am about and everything that my company
is about. Reprodepot to me is not about being "hip" or "retro", it is about
facilitating creativity and art in a form that provides endless
possibilities. Copying someone's original ideas to try to make a quick buck
goes against everything I believe in.
(Personal note: To make things worse Carolyn is portraying herself (as the
owner(s) of Cheap Threads) as someone who is interested and involved in the
crafting community. Until she started working for me, she knew nothing about
fabrics and sewing and showed very little interest during the term of her
employment. In fact, her complete lack of interest in the fabric industry
and crafting was one of the reasons I hired her!)
I apologize for all the drama, but since I did not have them sign a
non-compete there is nothing I can do to fight back against them. (I have
definitely learned my lesson the hard way.) The only thing I can do now to
protect my business is to let all of the people who I have done business
with know who they are and how they have betrayed my trust.
Here are the links to the Cheap Threads sites:
http://www.cheap-threads.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021470
http://www.cheapthreads.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cheapthreads
http://myworld.ebay.com/cheap-threads
Thank you very much for reading this email and if you have any questions at
all please don't hesitate to email me or call. My contact info is below.
reprodepot.com
--
reprodepot.com
413-527-4047 p
413-527-6407 f
djerba@reprodepot.com
http://www.reprodepot.com
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
holiday sale this saturday!

this saturday, december 16, three SAPLINGS are participating in a holiday gift sale in williamsburg: lena will be bringing her beautiful plates, ties, pillows and other perfect gifts, mociun will show her delectable dresses and hand-screened baby T's, and hodge podge will have crocheted hats, appliqued dog sweaters, and one-of-a-kind clothing pieces. there will be over 20 designers participating; you can see the complete list with links to their sites here. if you live in nyc please come check us out, and support your local independent makers!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
sale roundup!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
sample sale!

yes, it's our first actual organized SAPLING event! thanks jen for designing the lovely postcard, and caitlin for supplying the shells. this will be a true, old-fashioned sample sale, meaning those of us who are participating are doing it because we have samples, one-of-a-kinds, and odds-n-ends that we are dying to get rid of! that translates to very special treasures for you, at great prices. if you live in nyc, come check it out and support your local indie talent. thanks!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
october minutes




the october meeting was held saturday 10/14 at caitlin's studio in park slope. in attendance were caitlin, jen, lena, sherise and me. oh yeah, and judas, gertie and gus!
we spent most of the time discussing plans for the sample sale to be held saturday november 11 from noon to 6 at this same location. this will be a true sample/overstock/past season sale, with the goal of clearing out old stuff we all have hanging around. set-up will be friday night from 7 to 9 with a little pot-luck dinner to make it fun. so far we have mociun, raeburn ink, lena, hodge podge, little cakes and elyse participating in the sale. jen is designing a gorgeous simple postcard to be placed in local park slope boutiques and a few other locations, and we will try to spread the word mainly through e-mails and hopefully some listings (Time Out?) also jen told us about a service called propay that lets you accept credit cards without a merchant account or special equipment; could be a handy thing to know about when doing sales or just in general.
next we talked about options for a holiday sale (this one will be new stuff from our current collections and gift-y items) and agreed that probably the best idea is for us to band together and get a bunch of tables at the Craftacular on december 9. the application deadline is november 1st so whoever is interested please let me know asap. i have sent an e-mail to the coordinator asking if we can get a group discount on multiple booths and will advise you all as soon as i have more info.
caitlin showed us some lovely swatches from two organic and natural fabric resources, Near Sea Naturals and a new one she found, Enviro Textile. my fave swatch was a bamboo/cotton knit from NSN; i have never felt a bamboo fabric before, but it was unbelievably soft!
we didn't set a date for the next meeting since we will be hanging out all day at the sale next month; we figure that will count as a meeting, since the following weekend will be the one before thanksgiving. i imagine the next official meeting may not be until january, since there will be lots of sale-ing and holidays during the next two months...
Saturday, September 30, 2006
minutes of 9/20 meeting
we set a date for the fall sample sale that was proposed at the last meeting. it will be held at caitlin's studio in park slope on saturday, november 11, from 12-6. more details will be ironed out at the october meeting.
we also discussed a holiday gift sale, tentatively to be held december 8-9 at little cakes. however, after the meeting hanna realized that this would be in conflict with the gallery schedule so we will need to re-plan this event at our next meeting. it looks like a new venue will be needed so everyone should think about what options we have. amy mentioned the availability of her handsome and generous boyfriend matt's gallery in williamsburg, where some of us did a sale last year, so that is one option to consider.
caitlin updated us on her adventures in production at MCIF. previously her experience had all been good, but this time she had some problems to report: the quality has been inconsistent and a whole batch of woven dresses had to be ripped apart and re-stitched because of poor workmanship. she has also had some problems with them meeting her deadlines. the problems seem to have been ironed out so far but caitlin is going to continue searching for other production options so that all of her eggs are not in one basket... also the need for a separate cutting service was mentioned, since MCIF is not set up for cutting. amy suggested a cutter named Bob Gaver in the park slope area.
we also discussed ideas for workshops/information-sharing at upcoming meetings. amy offered to share with us her tax tips for indie businesses (possibly at the october meeting?) and requests were made for crochet and embroidery workshops, both of which i would happily teach. i also requested a DIY basic website tutorial (anyone feel qualified to teach this???) any one who has any other ideas to teach, share, or request should bring them up at the next meeting.
i brought swatches to show from an online fabric resource i found, wazoodle. they have a nice heavy-weight sweatshirt fleece that i bought after much fruitless searching. this led into a discussion of our collective desire for more organic/eco-friendly resources. one that caitlin had found, Near Sea Naturals, has gorgeous stuff but it's pretty expensive. she's going to show her swatches from them at the next meeting.
most of us had to run along so we didn't have a stitching circle after the meeting, but i hope we can institute this tradition at our next meeting. caitlin has offered to host the next meeting so we can check out her studio before the sale in november...
if anyone has corrections or additions to these minutes, please feel free to add them yourself, or e-mail them to me and i'll do it. also, if anyone needs a re-invite to the blog so that you can post yourself, please let me know!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
materials exchange - blank tee shirts galore

hi saplings,
i have a great many blank american apparel tee shirts i am looking to trade/sell for cheap. in particular, i have about eight dozen women's l/s lilac tees as this picture. and a bunch of kids stuff, and other random items. let me know if you are interested. trying to clear out space in the house for new projects! - jen
Thursday, August 10, 2006
cotton fleece


hey y'all... if anyone is out in the fabric-shopping world and sees nice THICK fleece-y knits, please let me know. i am looking for sweatshirt fleece and/or lighter weight fleecy or brushed knits, but they must be primarily cotton (a lot of sweatshirt fleece out there is like 65 poly/35 cotton). last year Mood didn't have ANY sweatshirt fleece which i thought was crazy! i have so many ideas for cool sweatshirt styles but can never find the fabric. i would also look at online sources if anyone has any recommendations. i just spent about an hour searching online but didn't find much. thanks in advance for any info!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Re: Health Insurance Info
I'm so happy to be posting my first Sapling Society blog entry.
This is a copy of the health insurance handout from a couple meetings back.
I have Family Health Plus and it's great. In order to qualify you must go through an interview process and your income (after business expenses, etc) must be low. It's a long process but so worth it if you qualify...
And if not, there are other NY state programs that might be worth looking into.
You can email me if you want more info about Family Health Plus.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
~rebecca
Comparison of Health Insurance Programs in New York:
http://www.ins.state.ny.us/plans2.htm
Family Health Plus :
Free coverage if you qualify! Little or no co-pay, prescriptions are covered. Must schedule an interview first and fill out application to qualify. Strict income and resource requirements.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/index.htm
Who can join (requirements):
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/who_can_join.htm#FAMILYSIZEX
Where to apply (who to set up interview with):
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/where.htm
Helpful numbers including Family Heath Plus:
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/helpful_links.htm
Healthy NY:
Next step up from Family Health Plus. Low monthly payments for full coverage. Must meet financial requirements. Have to pick HMO and apply through them or online.
Healthy NY Eligibility Criteria for Individuals:
http://www.ins.state.ny.us/website2/hny/english/hnyeci.htm
(EX: Family size (1) : Annual Household $=Up to $25,125, monthly = Up to $2,094)
How to apply:
http://www.ins.state.ny.us/website2/hny/english/hnyapp.htm
Brooklyn Healthworks:
“The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Group Health Inc. (GHI), a consortium of health care providers and the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, are proud to offer an affordable health insurance for small businesses in the borough of Brooklyn – Brooklyn HealthWorks.”
http://www.ibrooklyn.com/site/chamberdirect/brooklyn_healthworks







