about OCELOT

designer-owner Angelina DeAntonis with wool itajime

new STUDIO

Angelina moved the dye studio in november 2010 out of the spacious warehouse that was a former pipe organ factory, into the modest but affordable outdoor and basement of her victorian home.

The sewing studio is now located in her neighbor's victorian 4 houses from her own. This is where the patterns are made, and the fabric is cut, sewn, and finished.

The new studios allow a fresh way of thinking about the making process, which previously was driven more by the needs of stores. Now Angelina focuses on one of a kind pieces, and uses even more plant dyes.

easier on the EARTH

Now the natural dye water can go directly back into the earth, and madder root and osage sawdust are used as mulch.

Ventilation is open to the sky and no longer requires a huge overhead exhaust hood.

Some plants from the garden are being extracted and experimented with for new colors. We are reusing acid dye bath water 2-3 times to conserve water and exhaust the dye.

Zee Boudreaux (left)working wool felt in madder root bath, Angelina (right) dyeing

detail of large clamps with madder root dyebath

Zee dyeing on outdoor burners under avocado trees

some HISTORY

Angelina DeAntonis began Ocelot in 1998, focusing the line on hand-dyed itajime, and using all natural fibers. With a commitment to the integrity of fine crafting, the textile-art-clothing is all made in house. Plant and insect dyes are used. Natural dyes make up about half of the dyes. The line began with only a few pieces, and has grown to over 80 styles. The

Ocelot has been crafted by many hands over the years. Angelina has always been involved in the dye process, at first doing all of the dyeing, then training assistants and interns to help with the dye production. In the first 3 years of the business, Nan Eastep of B Spoke Tailor was seamstress and patternmaker, bringing an expertise in tailoring and fine sewing. When Nan left to work on her own line http://bspoketailor.com/ , Che Ying Lam became the head expert sewer and patternmaker. Many interns have been taught in Ocelot's dyeing technique over the past decade, notably Rebecca Williams who became involved in designing the line when Angelina had her baby, and was the first and only to master folding itajime. Rebecca is now making innovative and amazing jewelry http://www.rebeccasako.com/Home.html

Zee Boudreaux, textile artist, is still dyeing with Angelina. Zee brings to Ocelot fine dyeing skills and his immense interest in natural dyes.

The Ocelot studio has hosted workshops in textiles with internationally recognized textile artists, like Rasul Mirzaahmedov from Uzbekistan and Joan Morris from the U.S. .

Angelina occasionally teaches workshops in the use of natural dyes with the itajime technique.

something PERSONAL

Life with a 5 year old changes everything. Balancing a business with being a mother is quite a maneuver, and somehow I have managed to keep Ocelot vital. Endless inspiration comes from being with a child, the world of the impossible suddenly becomes possible in the imagination.

Jacobi has been drawing sine he was about  1 1/2 years old, spending hours a day drawing before he could even talk. He has made about a thousand drawings I'd guess. Perinnial themes include monsters, dinosaurs, and 'dancing masks'. His feeling for the space of the page is astounding, and the speed with which he draws is so fluid, his drawings flow out of him like water. I continually get requests to make his drawings in t-shirts, and someday I'd like to translate them into the shibori-itajime process 'kyokechi'; carved clamp-dye boards.

Jacobi drawing on a road trip

see jacobi's first showing in April Higashi's blog: http://shibumishibusa.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-10-21T08%3A42%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=20