Tie Dye Queen ~ Tie Dyes, Accessories, etc.

Me, at a Twilight Festival

My name is Karen.

I love to tie dye!

I have been dyeing shirts & stuff for over 40 years. But I really started getting into it with my friend Chopper in 1986, (or maybe it was '87?) when he turned me on to Procion Mx Dyes (before that, i used RIT dyes with my friends Doug & Ross in my Mom's kitchen!). Our friend Elise showed me how to do a heart, and then I could figure out how to make almost anything! In 1987, my dear friend Nick Kopcha wrote a song about me called Tie Dye Queen. That's where the name comes from.

In 1991 I had my beautiful daughter April. In 1993, I married her daddy, Clay. Then, in 1997, our incredible son Robert was born. My dyeing enabled me to stay home with them and help support our family. Then in 2000, Clay and I were divorced.

The last quarter of 2000 was quite a wild ride! I fell in love with my good friend and dyeing assistant, Brian! Together, he and our friend Matt & I launched Liquidity Productions, a liquid lightshow company. Brian and Matt were the artists, I was the roadie/ promoter for them. :) Then, we lost Brian on June 1, 2001. One week later, our beautiful son was born. Of course, I named him Brian...

On December 31st, 2001, I was a at a Schwag show at The Blue Note ; just jammin' to the groovy vibe as usual, standing by the water cooler (it was a really HOT show!) . Up walks this guy,(Chuck) I'd seen him around for years, but never knew his name... I walked up to him and said "You tie dye, don't you? We should be friends" So I gave him my card. A few days later, he emailed me... he came by a couple of times and did some dyeing with me. We became great friends very quickly!
Well, Chuck and I were married September 20th, 2003 at Schwagstock 20, in Leesburg, Missouri! My Mom has some wedding photos up here!

I am one of the luckiest people I know... Some people don't find real, true, SOULMATE love even once in their lives, but I've found it AGAIN! I am eternally grateful!

What a long, strange trip it's been!

I hope you like what you see here!

at Alpine Valley, WI for some Dead shows

my friend Chopper

Brian & me Feb., 2001

My Chuck

Here I am at Mississippi Nights in St.Louis for the Blue Dixie show!

I am at Mississippi Nights, a club in Saint Louis Missouri. I am there to see my friends, Blue Dixie!

This is my booth from the Downtown Columbia Twilight Festival, It was lots of fun

This is from the September, 1999 Twilight festival, Downtown Columbia!

This picture was from Schwagstock 8, September 8 & 9, 2000

This is from Schwagstock 8, September, 2000! It's from a slide that my Mom took!

Here we are at Schwagstock 11!

Here is my little family at Schwagstock 11, September 2001! Robert made his shirt himself!

Here is my booth at Earthday!

This is my Earthday booth in downtown Columbia, April, 2002!

Here we are at Spookstock, 2002!

We're at Spookstock 2002!

on the third night of Spookstock

Spookstock, third night... We each had 3 different costumes

I also offer classes on How to tie dye! So now you can learn some of my secrets!

"In Germany they first came for the communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.... Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me - and by that time no one was left to speak up." - Pastor Martin Niemoller -