Modest Transitions wouldn’t exist without earth-friendly designs. I’ll say it again: without earth-friendly designs, Modest Transitions would not be here. I’m proud to create products and workshops centered around natural dyeing and zero-waste ideals. Before opening the Fishtown storefront, one of the most beneficial steps I took in this journey was building my own garden and greenhouse in my backyard.
In doing this, I was free to experiment with different growing and dyeing techniques. Friends in the Philadelphia area were able to learn alongside me and get first-hand experience in natural dyeing.
When we acquired our Fishtown location, I was glad to have another small garden located in our backyard area. Though these gardens are still available, I knew Modest Transitions needed a bigger garden to produce more plants for dyeing and more!
I am so pleased to announce that Modest Transitions now has a farm! Yes, our very own farm, which is located in North Kensington! We share the land with Terra Luna Herbals: while they tend to their beautiful flower farm, we will prepare our natural dye farm. We are starting germination, the process of plants growing and developing, in the near future. Soon we will be growing indigo, marigolds, cotton, flax, coreopsis, and much more. To start, we plan to use the direct sow method, which means we are planting our seeds directly in our garden instead of sprouting our plants indoors. Once our plants fully develop, we look forward to using them for natural dying purposes. I’m grateful for the land and I’m so glad to use what nature has provided us all. Look forward to even more beautiful colors and pressed patterns!
Recently, Modest Transitions was gifted a flax wheel! A flax wheel, or spinning wheel, is an instrument that is used to make linen thread by spinning the fibers of the flax plant. This is wonderful because we are growing flax on our farm this year and can make our own thread! According to the Museum of Natural History, the spinning wheel was believed to be first used between 500 and 1000 AD. In early United States history, they were commonly found in homes after being used commonly in Europe prior. Being a dedicated and curious maker, I’m always excited to learn new methods and share them with others.
Picture this: on a bright, sunny day you’re chatting with friends as plants dance in the breeze and butterflies kiss the flowers. You smile for pictures as you kneel beside our growing garden. I’m somewhere sipping lemonade while my toddler boys are waddling in the dirt. That sounds like an ideal community event doesn’t it? Our farm is not only a place for our plants to grow but it is also a place for us to gather. In the warmer months, we look forward to inviting you to our natural dye garden! Rumor has it that these days Modest Transitions is planning its community events to be held at the farm, but you didn’t hear that from me….Stay tuned!
