Where we create: LaaDeeDye

  Who are you?   When doing business I go by "Dee". My full name is Deanna but Dee has been a nickname all through life, and it fits right into the shop name, LaaDeeDye! Plus it's easier to say... names being pronounced wrong drives me batty.

Where are you located?  Greensboro

What do you create?  Tie Dyed clothing. Traditional T-shirts of all colors and designs, and some handpicked upcycled clothing that needed some color. I also do bandanas, socks, baby clothes, whatever I can get my hands on!

How would you describe the space in which you create?  Zen! Not only is it a combination of indoors and outdoors, it is in my own back yard. I can tie the clothing anywhere I have a flat surface. Outside on my deck if the weather is nice, or inside on a surface on my living room floor (with a football game on maybe!). I can choose to tie alone in silence or sit right in the middle of the action.

  

my portable dye pans and wire racks

 Dying is all done outside! The storage shed my husband built is perfect for taking over with my "studio". The workbench is perfect to set my dye pans on, my "curing" racks live underneath, and the pegboard wall baskets hold my dye bottles away from the garment at hand. I can close up the shed if needed or leave it all open and let the natural light in (my favorite way). Once the clothes spend the night in the shed I bring them all outside on my wire racks for rinsing. Weather doesn't matter during this step... that's what raincoats are for! I will let mother nature help me rinse!

What is your favorite thing about your space?  I love how much of it is outdoors. I have ALWAYS been an outdoor girl. My space is very portable because I am extremely organized... If a dye friend called me up right now and said, "I lit the fire pit, lets dye on my back deck" I could ready in 20 minutes. The outdoor aspect and portability of my space NEVER affects the quality of the product. And yes, that phone call has happened!!

an outdoor rinse day behind the shed

How do you keep your space organized?  Minimalism. Discipline.. okay really I keep it all in two plastic bins. One bin is clothing that is ready to be dyed usually bagged by size for easy counting; finished products have a space in a closet so they don't get wrinkly. I organize that from smallest to largest. The other bin is more complicated. Buckets inside the bin hold my dye bottles upright, plastic kitchen containers hold dye packets and soda ash fixer packets. I keep a roll of trash bags to protect any surface if needed and there's always a box of big zip lock bags and cling wrap (with a sharpie in it) for freshly dyed items. A paper towel roll, scissors, my rubber bands, and about 3 "bar towels" live in there too. Inside a large grocery bag you'll find my dye pans and racks. All of this is really light (minimalism!), so I can just carefully huff my bins around and set up anywhere I have access to water! 

peg board baskets holding my dye bottles

Do you have inspiration pieces in your space? Strangely, no! I may have a quote or two printed and taped in my bin but unless I am trying to duplicate an existing piece, or use one as a color palette, no finished dyes hang out in the "studio", I can't risk it in my small space! If inspiration strikes and I don't want to forget it, I'll use my art markers and sketchbook to "take notes" of what inspired me and they often end up in my bin so I can refer back to them while doing the actual tie or dye.

After you've checked out LaaDeeDye on etsy, you can also find Dee on facebook, wordpress, and @LaaDeeDye on Twitter and Instagram.

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