Welcome to my shop!
My name is Marie and I am the owner and designer behind Clarity Colors. I live in a world of vibrantly colored hand-dyed fabrics and I'm happy to share this world with you! My designs include wearable art, accessories, and home decor items constructed using fabrics that I have dyed by hand to achieve a stunning collage of color that you can either wear or be close to all day. I also offer a selection of my hand-dyed fabrics to use as raw materials in your creations.

BACKGROUND ABOUT ME:
I am a retired nurse and manager. We have two cats and, now that our youngest child is in college, my husband and I are empty-nesters and we help care for my parents.

My mother taught me to sew at the tender age of four. She was a fantastic tailor and dressmaker with an expert's eye for the art of textile and an understanding of the hues and feel of fine fabrics. I used to sit next to her and sew on my own small sewing machine and she shared her expertise working with fabrics as well as an appreciation for the value of wool, cotton, silk, and rayon.

WHY DO I DO FABRIC DYEING?
My quest to master the art of hand-dyeing fabrics began with frustration over not being able to find high-quality fabrics to work with. As I began to acquire the skills I needed, I discovered that hand-dyed fabrics had a much greater depth of shade than the commercially-dyed versions, and also that I had a far greater degree of control over the hues and value (that is, the contrast between light and dark in a color) of fabrics when I dyed them myself.

Even though I've been sewing for more than forty years, my favorite part of what I do is actually dyeing the fabrics. Color is my primary passion now and there's an element of the unexpected in the process since there are so many factors that can influence how the final color will turn out. There are endless possibilities, and the end result is always a surprise. There is no such thing as a mistake in hand-dyeing fabric: even a case of over-dye can lead to something unintended, but breathtakingly beautiful when the fabric is rinsed out - and I love that!

I believe that color is deeply personal and our choices in color are stirred by our passions and life experiences. I find that there is a close connection between color and emotion - without emotion, there would not be color and vice versa. Colors can influence a person's mood, brighten the darkest of days, and set the mood of a room by creating an atmosphere of tranquility or attentiveness, and a sense of balance or of "busyness" in a space. So, while many people think of color as a simple part of life, there's actually science behind it and that inspires me in my work with fabrics.

TECHNIQUES:
Currently I dye and paint mainly cotton with MX Procion dyes and wools with acid dye. I augment my work with many techniques such as shibori, mono-print, discharge, silkscreen and layering.

For the past nine years, I have been enhancing my pieces with thread painting, image digitizing, and machine embroidery. Some of my favorite embroideries come from Urban Threads. I love the inspiration they bring and how I can include them in my art and sewing pieces.

CUSTOM ORDERS:
I'm open to custom orders because I get inspired by other people's ideas about colors and fabrics. Just send me a message to start a custom order based on something you've seen in my shop or another inspiration!

I opened my Etsy shop in the fall of 2016. As time moves forward, I will be adding and changing items. This is just the beginning and I would be thrilled to hear your input and suggestions, as accepting wisdom from other people on our journey through life is the best way to learn!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing a piece of my world. Add my shop to your Etsy favorites and please come back again soon!

Marie