Things to do in Elkhart Indiana

Corky visits expos, gardens, and local shops to chat with people about their oddly specific knowledge. Then, she will probably pick up orange chicken, and retreat home, to assemble tutorials for fellow curious people learning about sewing and tie dye.

December 3, 2025

Corky is using a metal spoon to sprinkle powdered Procion dye over the top of ice that is on a cotton T-shirt for ice

Trying new colors

See the process of ice dyeing a shirt to get a flowy watercolor design.

November 27, 2025

A person pointing a finger with fabric paint on the end, near the jar of paint.

Finger paint?

Let's explore alternatives to acrylic paint, for bedazzling a shirt.

November 10, 2025

close-up of a diamondback terrapin turtle lifting its head above water in a clear container at the Goshen Reptile Expo

Diamondbacks

An incredible variety of turtle species on display, at the Goshen Reptile Expo.

November 28, 2025

Tiny juvenile African bullfrogs in a shallow bin of water at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, next to the adult male that fathered them.

Small for now

You'd be surpised how large these babies will get, and how long they live.

November 11, 2025

Close up of a Thai Constellation Monstera leaf showing yellow green variegation in bright indoor light.

Speckles

Some of us have been waiting to get our hands on this variegated plant for years.

November 8, 2025

A baby tarantula inside a small plastic container with webbing, shown by @amber_arachnid at the Goshen Reptile Expo

Tiny tarantulas

Not only did she let me take a photo, she opened the container to get see it!

Geode tie dye

The geode style is known for crisp lines and concentric bands of color that resemble agate slices. The fabric is tied with sinew and dyed with fiber reactive procion dye.

This is a rayon jersey cardigan, dyed with my favorite color combo: citrus yellow, peach, wasabi (dharma), and jet black (jacquard).

Sewing Cloth Pads

Getting started with how to sew your own cloth pads can feel overhwhelming, at first.

Here's a list of links that will be helpful. Download the beginner sewing pattern to get started.

Dye Color Swatches

This is an on-going project to display a collective dye library, of colors from any brand. See community dyed fabric swatches.