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Jasmine Petrie

You are listening to the In Kinship podcast, a podcast for makers.

Makers who crave a vibrant, joy filled life on their own terms. I’m your host, Tina Vandenberg. You are listening to a live recording for the fall season of 2024. Um, some of the recordings, just a little housekeeping here. Some of the recordings are going to be live and video like this. When I have a guest, sometimes I’m going to do a prerecorded podcast and put it right onto my podcast feed.

So always check your feed for all the different ways that you’re going to hear the podcast. Thanks for being here. My guest today is Jasmine Petrie. Jasmine, welcome to the show. Hi, thanks for having me. Oh, it’s a pleasure. Jasmine got here earlier and we laughed a lot and I can’t wait to share her with all of you.

Jasmine is a weaver, a natural dyer, a loom doctor, which we’ll get into I’m and a teacher and a lifelong learner and artist. Jasmine. Welcome again. Thank you. So Jasmine, to get started today. Share with us, although your intro sort of talks a lot about about that but share with us how you’re a maker, where your passion lies as far as making goes, and what your inspiration to see.

To be in those veins is well, I think making has just been in my blood my whole life. Uh, it’s always been a part of my life from like, my, my mom is a musician and an artist. My dad’s a juggler and also like hunter, like country guy. Wait, he’s a juggler, like for a profession. Yes. Yes. Where does he juggle?

Uh, all over, well, Northern Michigan and also like he used to juggle down in Florida more. He holds three Guinness World Records in juggling. What? What? Tell me more about this and then we’ll move on. I mean, we have to sideways, sideways into this for a moment. Yeah, his name is Tommy Tropic and so he has longest distance juggling three objects while skiing and Rollerblading, as well as longest distance passing three objects with someone else while skiing.

Downhill skiing. Wow, that sounds like he’s a lot of fun. Yeah, yeah, it’s been an interesting childhood. Yes, I imagine. My partner said to me, you look like you were juggled as a child.

You probably were. I was, I was. Adorable. And I, we’re not going to dive too far into why you look like that, but we’ll just go with that. I’m into it. Yeah. So you have a long line of makers in your family and it sounds like adventurous living as well. Continue with your story. So then how did you become the maker that you are today?

Um, so yeah, I feel like I, um, have never really shied away from taking chances. Yeah. Um, You know, I can think of many times when I was younger where I could have almost died. I don’t know, you know, like just being a little bit risky. But, um, like that time me and my friends jumped off the break wall at night while it was the wind, the waves were crashing over.

Wow. Um, but luckily I’m still here and so for those of you who don’t know, Jasmine lives near me and we live near Petoskey, Michigan, and there’s a break wall out into Lake Michigan, which typically is really safe.

And exciting to jump off of into the deep water. But when the Lake Michigan gets really roaring and there’s big storms, like people get swept off and like are never seen again off of the break wall. And so to jump off of it. At night during that kind of a storm is, um, dangerous, something that young people might do.

Yes, I was in high school. Yeah. Um, so, so yeah, um, I, I, I feel like I’ve just always been, it’s either I’ve been in the right place at the right time, or I’m making these choices along my path to, to follow making. for sharing. And, and it’s ultimately led me to this weaving and natural dying that I do now.

Yeah. Give us an example of one of those moments where you were either in the right place at the right. And I would argue that, that probably both are true at the same time and that they are both the same thing to some degree is that you have to be brave enough to hear a call for something and to follow it.

And I think that opens up opportunity when you do that. So share, can you share with us an example? Yeah. Um, so I, like when I got to college at NCMC in Petoskey, I, um, was really surprised to find that there were textile arts in the art department. I had never really identified as an artist. I didn’t do great in high school art.

Um, and so with, I, through that, I met my dear friend, Shanna Robinson, and, um, I started natural dyeing there. And also, um, acid dyeing on wool. And so through that, I got a job dyeing yarn at the Cross Village Rugworks, um, when they were open in Cross Village by Lexan. And, um, And that’s up here near us in Northern Michigan as well.

Small, really quaint town, if you ever happen to be in Northern Michigan. Yeah. Um, and it was there that I started weaving, um, and kind of just fall, fell in love with the process. And, um, it latched onto me. So I know that Crouseworks is no longer, uh, an entity, but tell us what it was when you first were there.

Yeah. Um, it was a nonprofit that was, its mission was to give local people a craft or a trade that they could take with them into their lives and, and always have a way to like make money. And so that was weaving and. Punch needle rugs, and so they sold them there in the shop, and my initial job was dying the yarn that was punch needled, and then also the fleece locks that they wove rugs out of.

Very nice. So then what happened from there? Um, so when they Unfortunately closed, um, and they told all of us who still worked there, you know, we can’t exactly pay you anymore, but you could continue to clock hours in exchange for tools and materials. And so I was luckily in a position that I was able to continue working without pay.

I, um, had other avenues of income, like cleaning houses and. So, I just clocked hours and at the end, we all went around in a circle one at a time and took, took the, the materials. Um, and so I ended up with like a, a studio after that. As well as my art professor, Andrea Goering. Uh, my art history professor, um, helped me.

Get one of the big looms, which would not have been included in that. So one of the big Cranbrook looms, that’s a six foot weaving width. Wow. Um, uh, she helped me get that. So, so it sounds like you find, you feel really. fortunate or very grateful that you were in that position. And then when you were, even though you, I mean, you put the hours in, so like you said, took the things and I was like, earned the things.

But you were able to then outfit your own practice in your own studio, And then where did you go from there? Well, from there, I, so because I, I needed a home for these, I rented a warehouse in Petoskey, um, so that, and at that point in my life, you know, it was an apartment or a studio, I’m not going to say where it was.

I talked, I talked to the landlord and I was like, what if I lived here? And she was like, As long as you don’t tell me you’re living here.

So, that was, um, a pretty cold winter. Right.

I imagine. But, um, I had, um, Like a mini kitchen and a bathroom and I heated my bedroom and looms Yeah And to be clear any of you who are not familiar with weaving a loom is a very large piece of equipment I mean unless you’re talking about a table loom, which is still fairly big but tell us about like an average size of a loom Well, it’s hard.

It’s hard because looms could be anything from like a little frame or a pack of cards for card weaving brought to What does that even mean, card weaving? So it’s like a deck of cards. They’re square. It’s the way the Vikings used to weave bands and then they would sew them together to make bigger pieces of cloth.

What? So very portable. Okay, tell us more about this. We’ll go back to that other question about size in a minute. Um So, so yeah, you basically, it’s kind of similar to the backstrap looms of like Central South America, um, where you, you can tie some, part of it to you, and part of it to something else for that tension, because a loom needs to hold tension, um, for the weaving process.

And then the cards twist to shift the shed, which is a technical word, but that’s basically, You put your weft through and then you can shift the shed so that the fibers cross. Yeah. And then you put your weft through again. And that’s how you get the actual weaving motion or the weaving activity of the fibers.

Yes. So when would they do that? Like I am imagining, I know that, um, my understanding of textiles, not weaving per se, but when it comes to beginning of knitting is that it was often a role of the males. or the hunters rather because on their steed perhaps or walking they would be knitting garments for the family or cloth for the family as they were out moving whereas in the typically it was the women who were back home gathering and taking care of the home simply because they also had usually young children to take care of as well.

Is it a similar kind of thing? You know what I wish I knew better. Okay. I I know that And I don’t have like sources to back this up, but that the Viking women would do the drop spindling. Yeah, like walking, walking and spinning. But as far as the weaving, I’m not sure whose role that was. Yeah, but still that idea of you’re doing this while you’re in motion, possibly moving from place to place or looking for.

Uh, animal to have for dinner or whatever. I can’t think of the word I want here, but yeah, it’s really interesting. So when you talk about cards, like,

you know, we’re going to have to find a picture. Yeah, and put this in the show notes. Yeah. So I think that we all might need to see a visual of this But that’s really interesting. Card weaving or tablet weaving is the other name And so they would have made them out of bone or other stone even. I’m not sure about stone, but bone for sure.

Yeah, that makes total sense. Yeah. I love that. Okay, so they can be small, small, or very, very big You know, even, you know, on an industrial scale, they’re gonna need to be as wide as your bolt of fabric. Right. Yeah, um, maybe as big as this room. Yeah. And would you say, is it fair to say that, um, when somebody is weaving something at home using yarns or threads, even that that process is the same, other than it’s mechanized.

When a factory is producing fabric. I mean, like, we’re still using the same motions, aren’t we? Essentially. Yeah. I find that so interesting because often people can think of something they may do at home as having that Um, that homemade ness to it, and not like in the positive sense, but kind of in the net, which is something we make at home, but it isn’t actually all that useful, if that makes sense.

But I love, when I teach working with knit fabric, because that’s one of the things I love to teach, I can often relate. The fact that the things that your grandmother, or you maybe, are knitting with knitting needles, this knit fabric is produced in the same way, but on a machine. But it’s still the same process.

We’ve just mechanized it to be something faster, and have less character, and have less of the human touch of it. But, I find that to be kind of a beautiful aspect to it in a way. Yeah. Because it feels like this is, this is an actual thing you’re producing. Does that make sense? Totally. Yeah. Mm-Hmm? . Yeah.

That’s cool. Okay. So you started out as a dire, you learned and shifted into a weaver. Mm-Hmm. . And where are you now? Um, I’m doing both. Mm-Hmm. . Um, so I do a lot of natural dyeing, a lot of eco printing on garments. Existing garments. So I’m upcycling with my eco printing. Um, what’s eco printing. So it’s where I, um, the style that I do is I take more limited cloth clothing and forage leaves, and then I bundle it up, like roll it up.

With the leaves inside and, um, cook it in my cauldron over the fire. Oh, so this is magic.

And, um, and then the next day I unbundle it and then the prints are revealed. The actual prints from the leaves are imparted onto the fabric. So can you do this with any leaves or do you have certain kinds of leaves? So you’ll want to look for leaves that have a lot of tannin or other, like, color compounds in them.

And it really takes, like, experimentation and practice. Yeah. Um, but you can, you know, maple and oak and sumac are pretty, pretty high up there on tannins. Huh. So does it leave an actual print of the leaf than on the fabric itself? Yes. And the fabric must be a natural fiber. So no synthetic fibers will work.

Right. And when you’re talking about mordanting, you’re talking about what you mentioned. I can’t remember if we were rolling yet, but we were talking about something that has been traded with iron or some kind of a tannin, something that will then bond between the dye and the fiber itself. That’s right.

Exactly. Yeah. Very cool. Very cool. Do you, so you teach, do you also sell and do artwork? Yeah. Yep. Um, right now I’m in two shows locally. So, um, the Farm to Wall show at the Charlevoix Circle of Arts and the member show at Jordan River Arts Council. And, um, so. I do a lot of upcycling in my like, wall art, um, really, you know, try to work with abstract concepts as, as artists do.

Um, but then I also was like sell at art fairs as well. Yeah. So if any of you are interested in checking out Jasmine has a website called Howl at the Loom, which is of course adorable. I mean, and by adorable, I mean, badass. Um, But you can see, it’s really picture heavy, the website is, which is beautiful.

And you can see a lot of her art weavings there, which are just stunning, uh, wall arts, is what I noticed most when I looked at it. But I know you do, um, rugs and scarves and, yep, all different things as well. Yeah. Very nice. So tell us, um,

Tell us about a typical day in your life. Well, boy, I feel like my days do vary a lot. Um, and I’ll be getting tests for ADHD here soon. So that’s, that’ll be interesting to find out. Um, but you know, I like to have lots of time to drink my coffee. Um, and. Write some emails, uh, and then I, I really, because I do so many like different textile arts, I will dabble in each one throughout the day.

Like if my day is focused on that, on textiles. So I’ll like slay my reed, which is part of warping a loom. That sounds very interesting. And then I’ll mordant some clothing, um, and let that dry. And, um, just kind of move through, like maybe rinse out some yarn I’ve dyed. Um, Yeah, and I know that you have two children, correct?

Yes. Are they also textile artists? Um, They’re interested. I’d say my youngest has more like, um, interest in what I do. And um, they’ve both done like needle felting. Yeah. So yeah, we’ll see. Right. Who knows? Yeah. Maybe they’ll be jugglers. Are they jugglers already? No, no. They both like music a lot. Yeah. It took me, I did not learn to juggle until like two winters ago, so that I could help go for the most scugglers at once.

Yes, it’s a world record which we didn’t get but a scuggler is a skiing juggler. So I learned I learned to juggle for that. There’s an actual word for a skiing juggler. Yes a scuggler Did you guys make that up? Maybe Tell us more about your studio and where you live like I haven’t impression, and I think I know this, but um, I know, let me say this, actually I’ll back up, I know you’ve had goats in your past, I don’t know if you do anymore, my neighbor’s thinking of having goats, which means I’m trying to prepare myself for goats being in my yard as well, so tell us about, tell us about the life of Jasmine outside of textile.

Okay, yes, um, so I have one goat remaining, and he was my first goat, um, and so We’re just hanging out. He’s just a pet. Um, and he hangs out with our chickens. We’ve got a ton of like bantam chickens. Yeah. And so they just reproduce, like make more chicks. And I have no idea how many we have. Um,

My dad has the same exact issue, if you will, or, uh, joy with bantam chickens. Like he’s, he never knows how many he has. They lay nests. all over the place. And I think of them more as like, my dad was some kind of a chicken uh, wrangler, sort of. But really, they just rule the whole area and do what they want.

Which is nice, you know, they’re constantly fertilizing and constantly like, we don’t have ticks in our yard. Right. So, I mean, they do some jobs. Right. Even though they scratch up my gardens. Um, so, do a little bit of gardening and um, also got Um, two cats and two dogs and a hamster.

And I tend to like make a studio wherever I am. So from when I was young in high school, I would, you know, be hand sewing in a corner at the party. Like, that’s just how I do it. And, um, now. I’ll still do that as well as like, I have a studio away from my house at Wagbo in East Jordan. Um, and so that’s where most of my big looms are, but then I’ll like bring a table loom home.

Right now I have two table looms at my house. You know, my dying, my cauldron is at my house on the fire pit. Right. And so it’s, I really, um, know how to fill a space. Yeah. And it sounds like you’re really, I’m actually loving this because, you know, it’s always interesting when you hear someone talk about something and you get an inspiration or a spark of something like, I really want to do that more in my life.

Right. So we’re sitting in my studio, which I absolutely adore and I use, but I don’t use it. I don’t come in and dabble. I don’t come in and like, sew a seam or, Or work on a project. I tend to be, and to be fair, we just moved here last December. So like, I’m also like, right in the middle of a bunch of house projects.

And there’s all of the parts of moving and clearing land and all of that to do. So like, To be a little fair to myself, but I’m like, hearing you talk about working on a little part of this project and a little part of that project and a little part of this throughout the day, I just am thinking I want more of that in my life.

And so now all of a sudden, I also have done natural dyeing, just dabbling. I’m not a professional by any means, but I’ve got all of my pots and all of my things up in the shed and I’m like, I should get those out and I should mordant something. I should get something going. And I just, it’s nice to be reminded as a maker that you can just take little bites.

You don’t have to be having a whole feast because it’s hard to wait for the whole feast. Absolutely. Yeah, I, yeah, I feel like that’s very much how I get anything done. You’re a grazer. Yes, just like goats.

I love that. Very nice. I have a soft spot in my heart for goats. I have to tell you too because, um, goats are like my impression of goats. I’ve never had any, but I’m gonna have some eventually because they’re gonna be in my yard, I’m guessing. Yeah. Um, is that they’re mischievous? little troublemakers. And I have a soft spot in my heart for all the mischievous little troublemakers.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I’d say if like you want to relate them to a cat or a dog, they’re more like cats, a little bit aloof. Um, but also, yeah, they’re gonna. Might follow you around. This is going to be so much fun. So behind my property, um, the two acres that I have, I know you guys have heard about the property and you’re probably gonna hear about it forever, but behind my property, uh, the gentleman who owns the acreage behind it, he’s got some walking trails on it and a beautiful Creek.

And he lets us walk on the trails, which has been so much fun. And occasionally my cat will come with me and we’ll like, I don’t know if he’s sort of like embarrassed to be with me or what, but like he’ll leave you way behind me or like way ahead of me. And if I stop, then he’ll pass me and get 20 feet ahead of me.

So he’s always not quite where I’m at. And I’m like, are you making sure that none of the other forest animals are like, are you walking with that human? What are you doing? But now I’m picturing a cat and a goat walking on the trail with me. So, that could be really fun. I love it. It is. I’ve done that, yeah.

Well, in my head, the cat’s actually riding on the goat’s back, but I’m like, I don’t think that really happens. And I’m not sure that, I don’t know that we want that even, but this is what came into my mind. Maybe not the riding, but the chickens do stand on the goat’s back. How fun is this life? I tell you, so she asked me, what else do you do that lights you up?

Like, what do you do in your day to day life? That brings you joy. I mean, obviously you’re grazing on your art all the time, but is there anything else that you do on a regular basis? You said you love to enjoy your coffee for a long time. Share with us the things that like keep you grounded, bring you joy on a regular basis.

Okay. Yeah. Um, I think the number one most important thing to me is swimming in Lake Michigan as much as possible. Yeah. So I make time. Even if like, it’s a busy day, I’ll be like, I know I’m driving by the swim spot and I can spend a half hour like jumping in the water. Yeah. So that’s, that’s my, my biggest is just swimming as much as possible.

You know, I think you were here today to inspire me to connect to all these things that I want to be reconnected with. Cause I was looking back over, um, I’m a planner, so I definitely do lots of planning and I do lots of lists and I have journals and the The whole bottom shelf is just old journals back there.

Um, and one of the things I will do is I’ll kind of make a focus, like, I’m going to focus on this this summer. I’m going to focus on this this fall. Like, it just brings me joy. It’s part of what I do. And one of the things was I want more beach days. But in my head, it’s kind of like that face we were talking about.

I feel like I’ve got to have four hours to go to the beach. And to be fair, I’m like six miles from Lake Michigan, like there’s no good excuse for me not to jump over there for a half an hour and do that. And I, you’re really inspiring me to like, to do a little more grazing in life. Nice. This is my new term for you.

Okay. I like it. Yeah. But I mean, I do love a four hour or eight hour beach day as well. For sure. Um, and then also I, uh, I take baths, I take a lot of baths, and every time I light all my candles that I made, and put Epsom salt and frankincense and almond oil in the bath. You’re killing me here, Jasmine. I mean, you’re literally killing me.

I actually have some exciting news for anybody out there. I think. Okay. So I’m also a bath taker. I love taking a bath. It’s the same kind of situation. It was always a ritual for me. It was always this beautiful experience. And I say was simply because the bath I have now is not big enough to actually do that in.

So I live in this tiny little 400 square foot house. And so while it has a bathtub, it’s, um, it’s more like a suggestion, less of an actual event. It’s, um, so. I’ve not had a bath tub that I could soak in for almost three years now, which is very sad for me. And then I’m reading this book by Mary Jane Butters called Glamping.

And I just picked it up and it was like sort of this funny title, but it’s actually a really deep book. It’s really a beautiful book. Cause I’ve been thinking about different ways of like having community on my property. And so that was kind of in my mind. She does like Wild Hunt, uh, Glampian Sites, but one of the things that she does for her own self and also at all of her Glampian Sites is she takes an old cast iron bathtub and a through like a two burner, but I have a three burner, but like a two burner cast iron, um, that’s not really for camping, but you know, like an outdoor Cooktop, I guess, but they’re, but they’re short, right?

Like they’re not very tall and they’re heavy duty and they hook up to an LP tank and she puts them underneath the bathtub. And I fill it up and it takes about two hours you said to come to temperature and then you’re bathing outside under the stars in this cast iron bathtub. Some might call it a cauldron.

I don’t know, but I’m like, I’m totally doing this. So I got so excited. I already have, I already have the deck ready for it outside of my bedroom. Just this little deck that I have to get into the bedroom. I already have the burner and the LP tank. And I was like looking on Facebook marketplace for just the right bathtub.

And then, I found. the most stunning bathtub in the entire world. And it’s one where the drains in the center and the over drain is in the center. So it’s like, it’s like a two seater really. Wow. And it’s beautiful and it’s heavy and it’s was stunning. And the person just moved in and they just wanted it gone.

They sold it for 50 bucks. Yeah. So I went and I got it. And then I’m like, I can’t put a burner under this because it’s pristine. It’s absolutely pristine. Oh yeah. And so my plan for once I put an addition onto my house is I’m going to build a bigger bedroom, which I’m going to put this bathtub in the bedroom.

So now I’m on the lookout for another cast iron tub. Cause I’m like, I can’t use this one. The one we have in our house came out of someone’s yard. It was just upside down in the yard and there was like 30 bugs. Very nice. I love it. So I am on the lookout, if anyone is in northern Michigan, for a cassarine tub.

And it’s okay now if it’s beautiful, because I already have the one for the future. So this one just doesn’t have to be stunning, but um, but I can just envision a full moon and the stars and maybe the snow falling and having a bath outside. It’s just going to be delightful. Yes. Awesome. Okay, so you take baths, you swim, and like, there’s a lot of water here.

Yeah, yep, and um, yes, I mentioned earlier to you that I’m a Cancer in my Zodiac, and my friend the other day was like, you know, you’re a Cancer. You’re a cancer. Like, you, you know how to take a, like, you fill a space like water. And so it’s all, it very much relates. Yeah. Um, which kind of relates back to what you were saying about when, um, you have your art studio wherever you are and you’re filling up that space.

Yeah. I, I’m an Aries, so I’m not a cancer, but. I do notice when I go to visit family, especially, or actually probably anyone, but I don’t stay at anyone else’s house all that often. I have things in their kitchen. I have things in their living room. I have things all over. And I thought, so when you said that, I’m like, I can relate.

Yeah, I have like almost like a basket of food over here and this over there and totally. Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s like making yourself at home or comfortable, but yeah. And then one more thing that I recently was able to do and I realized I do this as often as I can. I jump in a mosh pit. Uh, a punk show.

Wow. Okay, so what, you live in northern Michigan. I know where you live. There’s other punk shows up here? I was just in Traverse City. Uh, saw a band called Platonic Boyfriends. from Detroit. Um, very, very fantastic. But when I was growing up in this area, the music scene was actually thriving. Yeah. Um, so, so there were a lot of mosh pits when I was in high school.

Wow. Okay. All right. Yeah. That is lovely. I don’t know that we’re going to share that one, but that’s okay. I do love like music though. And the energy of it. I love to dance. I can understand like getting caught up. Literally in the energy of it. I can see that. Yeah, I love it. So tell us about that, that morning coffee that you have.

I’m going to talk back on that in a second. Cause I definitely am a person who loves having a morning routine and starting my day in a particular way. And then like sort of having these habits, which I try to keep. minimal and simple so as not to become crazy. Um, but I like, I mean, I like, I like having a flow to my life that sort of prompts the next, uh, the next activity, the next thing I’m going to do.

So you wake up, kind of cough very heavy. Um, well, I brew coffee in a French press, um, and I like a tiny bit of cream, uh, no sugar, ever, please. Wow. Um, and, um, yeah, well actually I, I started putting collagen in one of my cups as well. How do you like that? It’s, I’m used to it now, and it actually, like, it helped an issue I was having, so I’m like, I believe in this now.

I just started using MCT oil in my coffee, like, this week, so, interesting. I know that’s a similar benefit to some degree. Nice. Yeah. Um, and so, yeah, I just, I like to, I like to do this before anyone else is awake. Um, it doesn’t always work out that way, but, um, and I just kind of am, you know, sometimes I’ll read and sometimes I’ll write.

Um, I was reading The Artist’s Way. Yeah. And so it was, It prompts you to write every day. And so I do try to write more often, but I find that I have to allow myself seasons for sure. It’s like some people can do that daily practice and I just have to ebb and flow more. I have had that same experience. So I talk about, I’m a planner.

I love to plan. I love to have lists. I love to think about what. Feels the most expansive for me and all those ways. I love all of that process, but when it comes to the actual ritual itself, it has to be looser than that. So like my morning routine typically is that I’ll wake up and like, just the first thing I do needs to be some sort of.

So whether that’s meditation or it’s breathing or it’s just sitting with a candle, watching the darkness outside, whatever that might be like, that’s how I like to start it. But I can, I get to choose what those things are in the moment. I mean, obviously we get to do whatever we want to do, but I have to have some flexibility or else I start to rebel against it.

I think. Yeah. And there is a moment of like, What works for you now might not work for you in a month. And that’s okay too. Like having the ability to just flow with that and choose what you want in any given moment. And so then after that, then I do some kind of stretching. I had this autoimmune thing two years ago that I’ve been recovering from.

And I actually found these stretches the summer that had made humongous difference for me. And so I’m like trying not to let that go because that has been so positive in my situation. And also, um, thinking about what else I can incorporate into that. section of time so that I don’t get bored with it. Or I’m not like, I don’t want to do this anymore.

I do it so that I still get the same kind of benefit. And then by then people are awake and it seems to be that’s the end, but I try to walk every day before I start work as well as kind of that trigger to start work. And typically, um, And all, all of these things, I should back up and say, all of these things give me so much grounding and peace throughout the day.

And I know that, and I work hard to put them in my life, but I still probably only get it half the time. Yeah. And that’s okay, too. Like, I just have grace for that as well. But I just continue to come back to it when, when it works. And to let it go if I didn’t, and be like, tomorrow’s a different day. Right.

Totally. I, I forgot a very important part. What? I forgot. The coffee is that I always drink, um, a quart of water before I drink coffee. A whole quart? Nice. Yeah. Woo! I don’t like slam it, but I’m like, oh, I’m not done yet. I can’t have my coffee yet. And it really makes me feel so much better. Yeah. Throughout the whole day.

I can see that I can see that and I definitely try to drink water I think I you’re like, you’re really bringing some stuff up for me. So I’m like, you don’t drink a quart You know, you really could drink a quart. That would probably be good I do try to drink a big glass of water because otherwise if I drink coffee just on its own Well, I don’t feel as good.

I start to feel kind of in my, in my stomach and water is so important in this. Isn’t it interesting how we, um, all the ways in which we,

I guess, attempt to control ourselves to some degree. It controls a little wrong. I mean, but like we have things we want to accomplish in life. And so that takes some measure of commitment to them. I think we want to accomplish feeling good in our bodies. So we drink the water, knowing that if we just start with coffee, we’re not going to feel as good.

But like our nature is like, just go for the coffee. Yeah. Possibly. Yeah. Yeah. It’s interesting why that is, why we have those. Triggers, I wouldn’t just, it reminds me actually of a question I often ask, you know how like you’re looking for something or you have a word and you know the answer, but you cannot pull it up like you cannot bring it to your mind.

And I was like, what is that, like, why on earth do we have these brands that have all this information. And we actually know that that information is there, but we cannot draw it for it. Yeah. I like that. What is that? You know, like what, what happens there? Yeah. I don’t have an answer for it. I just always wondering.

I’m like, why is that there? And I, I sort of like mischievous go quite honestly, like I think of it that way. And I do think sometimes of the, of, um, The secretary in my head is being a cantankerous lady who’s like, yeah, I’m not getting that for you right now. So don’t even ask. Like I’m pretty sure what’s going on up there.

I like that. Yeah. I mean, you know, I’m like, okay, what can we do to Smooth this over a little so we can get a better response, but yeah, I love it. What is their time here? So before we open this up to any questions that we might have, Jasmine, what are you excited about right now? Um, well, I am excited. I’m so excited.

I’m excited about that project I was telling you about earlier, the Ecot weaving with the different mordents. It’s a, it’s a matter, um, project. So that’s a type of natural dye. And, um, I’m doing it because I was invited to be in a show, um, in Astoria, Oregon, um, by a friend I made on Instagram. So that’s, I’m weaving this piece.

for that show. Will you be physically at the show or will you mail it to the show? I’m going to mail it. Yeah. I’m not going to simplify. Yeah. I’m not going to say I’m going to make it out there, but I’ll leave it open. You know, it might be in the right place at the right time and it might just happen.

Yeah. But I think that’s why it’s to be like, just let it be whatever it’s going to be. Yeah. So that’s really exciting. You’re doing that weaving. What else are you working on? Um, I also, um, am so excited that, um, My weaving studio is currently at Wagbo Farm and Education Center, um, south of East Jordan. And, so I am in the upstairs studio.

And the downstairs was a wood shop that, um, no one was using. It was kind of just being used for storage. And so I approached the board and was like, well, what if I took that over as a weaving studio? And so, um, People seem to be in favor and we started moving forward with improving the building because it did leak it on water came in.

So the roof doesn’t leave, but it came in the bottom. Yeah. So. Wendy at Wagbo got a few grants to fix up the building. Um, so there’s drainage that has been put in, and the sill plate is being replaced, a new window, um, and so that is going to be a collaborative weaving space. Um, where I’ll teach classes and people will get a chance to weave on like big looms that they might not have space for or resources for.

So would it be, I mean, I would still do the classes, which sounds really amazing. And then, but somebody who has experience that wants to come in and just use these larger looms, is it sort of like a membership then? Yes. I’m, I, there’s a few models around the country that I’m, you know, gleaning from and I haven’t really.

Figured out how it’s going to work, but yeah, so I’m kind of like loom rental situation for sure. Very nice. Yeah. Um, yes. And then I’m also, um, I feel like just, I am so grateful for the partnerships and collaborations I have in my life. I feel like, um, community is really what holds me. Um, Um, and so, um, another really exciting thing that’s happening is I’m partnering with, um, Nadine at the Fibershed Yarn Shop in Boyne City.

And we will be, um, co hosting a, a natural dye eco printing retreat. Falls area next fall. Um, so, um, there’s a pretty cool space. It’s like a glamping situation and there’s a big barn for like the workshops. Yeah. That’s near her house. So very fun. And then we can visit her farm and and get plants and things So that’s very cool.

Yeah um Was was there anything else? There is

And um Last but not least, I, um, I’m so, so excited to, um, I have recently met, um, Madeline Fidel, um, who sells chocolates in Bel Air, but has also been doing culinary tours in Provence, France for, um, a couple of decades and has begun doing textile tours. And so I’m going to partner with her on one. Um, next for next fall 2025.

Wow. That is amazing. Yeah. So I’ll be, um, just like helping find other places that might be interesting for people to visit. Um, yeah. Well, they’d be, so you probably don’t even know cause it’s a whole year out. So you’re not sure probably all the details of it, but this textile retreat. Will you be teaching at the retreat as well or is it going to be more of an exploratory experience in France?

Okay, the, yes, the one in France would be like, um, exploring the area and she has established, um, connections there. Yeah. Um, as well, like the housing and the, uh, chef and everything. Um, and so then exploring other, uh, studios. Wow. That is stunning. Yeah. So if anybody listening wants to know more about those things that you have going on, how can they find out?

Um, I will keep my website updated, um, as more information comes in. So howlattheloom. com. Yeah. And then there’s Michigan fibershed.com for the, um, boy Falls retreat. And then, um, cuisine Prav, no cuisine proven kale.com Okay. Or, um, the France. Very nice, and we’ll put those in the show notes as well. But definitely check out Jasmine’s website.

It, like I said, it’s full of beautiful eye candy. You’ll be able to see some of the work that she’s doing, and then you’ll be able to know the fun events that she has coming up. And that’s howellattheloom. com. Yes. Jasmine, I have one last question for you before we open up to any questions that our audience has.

The question I like to ask everybody before I, um, end our call is what do you wish people knew deep in their hearts that you think they might not know? I have given this question a lot of thought and I, I find that. You know, there’s a lot of like cliches that ring true. Like, I tend to follow cliches in my life.

Um, I think they’re there for a reason. Yeah. There’s a lot of them, even though we hear them so often. Yeah. Um, like, So I’m going to, I have like three things I want to say is, um, kind of my math mantra that I’ve adopted in the past few years is that anything could happen, so just follow your dreams now because literally anything could happen.

Right. Like, did you know, did young Jasmine who walked into Village Rugworks have any idea that sometime down the road, she was going to be part of a retreat in Provence, France, right? I think so. I’m still, I’m practicing. Yeah. Wow. Anything can happen. Okay. Yeah. I love that. Yup. Um, good or bad as well. You know, that’s true.

I do. Yeah. I’ve got a lot of duality and try to, you know, Foot in both worlds. Anything can happen. Um, and also, um, it’s, it’s okay to be patient and trust the process and weaving is like a practice and trusting the process as well as natural dyeing. Right. Um, but I feel like right now the most important thing that I want everyone to know in their hearts is that Our own personal freedom is tied to the freedom of every person, every other person in the world.

And if one person is not free, then neither are we. Thank you. Jasmine, thank you so much for being here. It was such a pleasure to talk to you. I love your enthusiasm. I love your adventurous nature. Um, I love your artistry and I’m just glad to have you.

Thanks so much for having me. I, I love that you do this. Excellent.