Working with Holly was honestly a complete DREAM. She was so thoughtful and professional, and on top of that, she has an amazing eye for colour! If you are looking to support a local indie dyer, I would definitely suggest checking Holly out at her Etsy shop here!

First of all, I just want you to know that the yarn that Holly dyed for me was so fun to work with! It was a silk-linen blend that was very luxurious to the touch, and it was very easy to work the stitches with. One of the reason that I enjoyed working with Holly so much was because of how open she was to my opinion, and how considerate she was. Originally, we had talked about using cotton, but when the supplier for pima cotton didn’t work out, Holly was so quick to find an alternative, even though it meant learning new dye techniques!

Second of all, Holly’s sense for colour is impeccable. From the second I first saw it, I was in love with the ombré gradient from green to blue. Even though she had never worked with silk-linen before, she was so eager to jump into it, and was willing to try multiple times to get what she wanted. The pictures honestly don’t do it justice!

Originally an avid crocheter and knitter herself, Holly began to focus more on yarn dyeing when she began to have pain in her hands and wrists. She also keeps herself busy with running the crochet section of BellaOnline, as well as being the mother to two children! I definitely respect the way Holly manages to keep everything balanced in her busy life.

I ended up using her yarn to make my ILEX crop top, with the name itself inspired by Holly! It turns out that she chose the name ilex.every.day couture for her business as “ilex” is the Latin name for Holly! She also wanted to create a brand that reflected every day luxury, and I think she does that in everything she makes – from her yarn, to her own creations!

I love finding new ways to partner with local makers, and this was my favourite experience yet! Have you ever worked with someone else that you’d love to share about? Do you know anyone else in the Edmonton area that would be open to collaboration?

Until next time, happy crafting!