Everything Canary makes contains the values that make it unique.

One of the main materials is hand-dyed thread.

The organic cotton base is grown in India, the world’s largest organic cotton producing country.

The colour is added by Canary, using traditional methods and all-natural materials.

Many of the dye plants, like woad and dyer’s chamomile, are cultivated next to the dye pot. They are watered from the rain barrels that also fill the vats.

The garden beds were reclaimed in a small yard that was previously completely covered with deck planks.

No pesticides or synthetic fertilizers are used. Pollinator insects and other bugs surround the plants, along with little brown birds and urban wildlife.

Other dyestuffs are foraged. Only abundant native species like sumac, black walnut and goldenrod, taking care not to disturb their continued renewal.

Canary never forages or uses lichens.

Skeins for dyeing are made with a foot treadle rig, made out of parts salvaged from old sewing machines and yarn handling gear.

Finished colours are spooled using other re-purposed vintage machines.

The thread and everything else dyed this way reflects my reverence for the magic of natural colours, representing an ideal of respectful interactions with the natural world.