PART ONE: Folk Fibers + Ginew + Medel Bandanas

It's OK to be analog - to slow down - to take your time - to enjoy the scenic route. Working with Maura Ambrose (FOLK FIBERS) and Lou Medel (MEDEL) on the bandana collaborating exemplifies how we were able to make time for a project and to do so with patience. Can you imagine, it took us nearly two years to complete the project together? The idea of doing a bandana was born one morning over breakfast at Maura and Chap's ranch. Steadily, we worked out ideas and direction...we made our road map, now it was time to enjoy the journey.

Together we were able to source bandanas 100% from South Carolina, develop a collaborative design, naturally dye fabrics, and discharge print the designs onto the fabric. Lou and I drove through nine states to visit Folk Fibers at their ranch outside of Austin, TX. Maura patiently explained her process and gracefully led us through hands-on instruction. It was a gift to be working with Maura and Lou atop a hill on crisp, Texas mornings. Maura shared her passion for dyes and fabrics with us during family walks, where she would point naturally dyes located around their ranch. We chose three dyes for the project - indigo, madder root (red), and logwood (light purple).

Our goal was to work on something analog - something tactile, relational, and in-person - and we committed to doing the work together, regardless of the distance between us and the delays this may create. We wrote letters, paid visits, and enjoyed phone calls with one another as we worked through our collective, creative process. In the end, we created something beautiful together - memories. My fondest memories of the project are those spent late at night around Folk Fiber's kitchen table, on the porch watching the sunsets, and huddled near the many campfires between Portland and Austin.

Special thanks to WILL MEDERSKI for making time to visit with us and document the process.