How To, A Winter Return to Making

With the days growing longer and the light shifting unpredictably between warm afternoons and cooler evenings, we turned to Arielle Toelke of Four Rabbit to guide us back to one of the quieter pleasures of the season: working with textiles.

Arielle’s practice spans natural dyeing, textile art, and paper collage, grounded in a commitment to thoughtful materials and ethical production. Over the years, she has explored how color, texture, and design can transform everyday fabrics into objects of care and attention. Whether you’re revisiting a long-forgotten sewing kit, experimenting with color, or simply curious about where to source supplies, we hope this conversation offers an invitation to begin again.

TPE: Your creative journey spans paper collage, textile work, and natural dyeing — how did your relationship with textiles evolve over time?  

Arielle: I think my love of textiles began with my love of fashion. I moved to New York City to be a makeup artist, and pretty quickly realized the industry wasn’t for me. I always loved to sew, and in 2015 I took an indigo dye workshop that changed my life and after that, I dove into everything related to natural dyes. In 2016, I designed a collection of naturally dyed scarves and started designing a zero-waste travel jacket out of tyvek, which became the beginning of my company, Four Rabbit. Through that process I learned more about the wastefulness of the fashion industry and started questioning how we consume textiles and our personal relationships to clothing. I became a member of the New York Fair Trade Coalition where our collective mission was to create with intention and purpose and ethical labor. 

Designing clothing was exciting and challenging, but ultimately it became a jumping-off point in my relationship with fabric and making. I am still fascinated everyday by natural color, and I bring that curiosity into the textile art I create and teach.

TPE: What’s an everyday textile item you find most rewarding to repurpose or upcycle — and why? 

Arielle: All of our household rags are old shirts and sheets and I just made a shirt out of a ripped sheet. But honestly a square of fabric, a bandana, gets used the most by me. I wear one to keep my neck warm, hold my hair back, use it as a handkerchief, or wrap food for transport, I could go on. Many of my dye experiments eventually become bandanas. It’s such a simple, versatile object.

TPE: Winter is a great time for cozy textile projects — what are some winter-centric crafts or techniques you love working on during the colder months?

Arielle: I always have a running list of clothing projects for myself, but this winter I am sewing a few wool vests for friends and family. Recently, mini cross stitch is my go-to craft. It's so cute and perfect for a little “craft snack” when you just want to start and finish in a short time. I repaired a denim shirt with a funny face in cross stitch.

TPE: Do you have a favorite dye or color palette you return to again and again? What inspires your choices when dyeing fabrics?

Arielle: I don’t always return to one specific palette, but there are dye materials I use again and again. When dyeing fabric for clothing, I choose the most wash- and light-fast colors — often indigo, pomegranate (which gives a warm golden hue), and madder. Because these are essentially primary colors, you can create an entire rainbow using just a few dye plants.

TPE: What’s one repurposing or mending tip you’d give to someone who’s intimidated by altering clothing for the first time?

Arielle: Sewing and mending are empowering and to not be afraid of doing a "bad" job. I think it's so cool to fix something you love to wear or use.

TPE: Can you share a simple, creative exercise our readers can try with old clothes or scraps this season?

Arielle: Small scraps are great for making artwork. It can be as simple as cutting different shapes out and gluing them onto heavy paper or cardboard for a fabric collage. I like to cut heavy paper into a post card size, create a fabric collage on one side by sewing the fabric to the paper, then I get to mail something special to a friend. For something more involved, you could make a mini scrappy quilt. Zac Foster has a great youtube video on the Quilty Nook for this.

TPE: What are your favorite local spots — stores, studios, makerspaces, or materials sources — for textile tools and inspiration?

Arielle: My friend Rose Pearlman has a new Substack called She's Scrappy, which is a wonderful resource for making and using what is already at home.

For supplies, I will try Artist & Craftsman stores first. I love finding vintage buttons on etsy and in the summertime at Brooklyn Flea in DUMBO. 

For artwork I collaborate with Lucky Riso for any riso printing needs- plus just walking in there is great inspiration.

Kinokuniya Book Store has a lot of sewing and craft pattern books and an amazing selection of art books and magazines. New York is full of art museums and galleries, it's hard not to be inspired by this city. 

TPE: Have you discovered any surprising connections between paper collage and working with textiles?

Arielle: Learning that I could silkscreen natural dyes onto fabric opened up a whole new world for me. Now I’m able to translate my graphic design elements directly onto cloth. When I teach silk screen and dye classes, I often start with cut paper exercises before moving into the dyeing. Because I design on paper, turning that into a screen stencil feels really organic for me.

TPE: What’s a common mistake people make when trying to repair or upcycle their textiles — and how can they avoid it?

Arielle: It’s less a mistake and more about knowledge — there really are tools suited to specific jobs. Using the correct needle and thread makes things easier and often cleaner. For example, repairing a thick knit is easier with a blunt, larger needle and yarn. If you’re doing sashiko stitching, a sashiko needle and thimble help. That said — just repair it. Don’t let not having the “perfect” tool stop you. Any needle and thread will work for most general repairs.

TPE: What’s an unexpected tip or mindset — artistic or practical — that’s helped you most in your creative work?

Arielle: If you like it, who cares if anyone else does. We spend so much time on social media looking for approval. Wear the shirt with embroidery covering the stain. Wear the shirt you just made, even if it’s not “perfect.” Make “bad” art. It’s for you first — and if you love it, don’t stop.