Swatch of the Month inspiration featuring Fern Stencil artwork; Plain Cake Yarn by Madelinetosh; Grid of fabric swatches testing tonal paint with Fern Stencil, Laura Zander, CEO of Madelinetosh with Plain Cake yarn; August’s Swatch of the Month; Cake stand from Alabama Studio Style; Photograph by Robert Rausch
With a focus of building community through color and texture, Madelinetosh—August’s Swatch of the Month collaborator—is passionate about creating and producing the best hand-dyed yarn in the country. They value inclusivity and spread the joy of crafting. Originally founded in 2006 as an Etsy shop, Madelinetosh was adopted by the Jimmy Beans Wool family in 2019, led by Laura and Doug Zander. Laura and her team preserve the MadTosh legacy of soft, interesting and decadent yarn, pioneering dye techniques, and original ideas of how to use color.
You’ll find community at the core of what they do. The colors are the common thread that allow them the opportunity to work with other designers (like us), yarn companies, makers, and local yarn shops to strengthen the making community, together.
In 2020, Madelinetosh created MT Studio, a yarn support program, where they work with a variety of independent designers to promote their patterns each month. Last year, they also established the MT Community Love Fund, where they raised donations through creative collaborations with designers in the maker community. Their yarns can be found in shops around the world.
Read back here on the Journal to learn more about their yarn sourcing and dyeing process and the Plain Cake hand-dyed yarn, inspired by CEO Laura Zander’s visit to The Factory.
Explore the journal cover and tea towel kits—a series of projects developed in collaboration with Madelinetosh.