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Three Saturday events, one site: Yarn bombing, indigo dyeing and 'Art Elephant' sale

Sacramento textile artists host colorful array at Shepard Center

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUN 3, 2024

Ever been to a yarn bombing? Local textile artists will attach yarn pieces to McKinley Park's trees on Saturday morning. Courtesy SCTA

Here’s quite a colorful combination Saturday at Sacramento’s McKinley Park: White elephants, indigo dye and yarn bombing.

On Saturday, June 8, the Sacramento Center for the Textile Arts hosts a triple-header of activities. It starts with the group’s annual “Yarn Bombing in Bloom” installation at 9 a.m. Members will decorate trees around Shepard Center with handmade yarn flowers and other crocheted decorations.

Local textile artists – specifically knitters, crocheters and needle workers – will attach yarn pieces to trees with more yarn. The installation is expected to stay on display for a month, adding some extra color to the park’s trees.

Activities then shift from a rainbow of yarn to deep, dark denim blue. Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, the group will hold its “Indigo Dip Dye Day” on the center’s patio. The public is invited to dye their own bandanna or fat quarters, but snag a reservation right away. Those dye tubs can get crowded.

The Indigo Dip Dye Day will be led by indigo expert LuAnne Hansen, who also provides all instruction. Fee for this one-hour workshop is $27 and includes all materials. Time blocks are staggered through 2 p.m. (Make sure to wear old clothing; indigo stains!)

After indigo comes the white elephants, or in this case, “Art Elephants.” From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside Shepard Center, SCTA hosts its annual “Art Elephant Sale,” with dozens of vendors offering unique items. Find materials and tools for all sorts of arts and crafts plus some unusual results of projects. Admission is free.

Located in the north panhandle of McKinley Park, Shepard Center is at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento.

Details including a link for Indigo Dye reservations: https://sactextilearts.org/.

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Shepard Center textile arts weekend event art elephant sale Sacramento gardening McKinley Park yarn bombing indigo dyeing

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Garden checklist for week of June 7

Afternoon highs are expected to be back in the mid 90s by midweek, then edging towards triple digits. Plan your planting and garden activities accordingly.

* Remember to water early.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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