How it all Began
Cinder Garden Designs began in 2008, when Judi began making festie wear to fund annual family pilgrimages to Burning Man. Judi and Eli’s paths crossed in 2011 when they both joined Earth Guardians (EG). As the Leave No Trace department of Burning Man, EG focuses on desert environment, conservation and education. Eli was a guest speaker, doing a talk about green building in the default world, having been recruited through Sierra Green Building Association (SIGBA) which he was president of. Judi was recruited to EG by her dear friend Loki, whom she attended her first BM with in 1999, and first met while working at the The Nature Company home office in Berkeley.
In 2012, Judi and Eli joined the EG leadership team, launching social media campaigns and writing blogs for the BM organization, to educate burners about MOOP-free playa wear. As makers, Judi and Eli participated in EG MOOP-bags making parties. MOOP bags are made from upcycled blue jeans and neck ties and are gifted at EG to encourage burners to pick up MOOP. By 2013, Judi and Eli were hosting their own DIY maker events, shifting to making clothing from upcycled fabric. * MOOP – Matter out of place, a.k.a. Trash
In 2016, Judi and Eli began volunteering with Friends of Black Rock High Rock (FBRHR), a non-profit desert conservation organization based in Gerlach, Nevada. Fundraising was needed so they launched the Last Chance Outpost, a pop-up shop providing playa basics like masks, goggles, toiletries, camp gear and pre-owned playa wear. Through their relationship with the BM org, they partnered with the BM Lost and Found department in San Francisco, where items are held for months before being discarded. Because items are covered in playa dust, most are not suitable for donation and end up in a dumpster. Judi and Eli participated in the final sort of items (mostly clothing) at the SF headquarters, then drove a truckload full of dirty clothing, bags and sundries back to their home in North Tahoe. The items were washed, repaired and prepared for resale, eventually being hauled back to the desert to sell at the Last Chance Outpost in Gerlach.
The Last Chance Outpost immediately became the largest fundraising program for the organization, providing supplemental resources to support grant funding. Judi and Eli’s participation ended when Covid closed down Burning Man in 2020, but still support the FBRHR org with financial donations.
In 2013 Cinder Garden hosted an event, Steampunk in the Trunk in the historic Tannery Building in Benicia. The year prior, they had briefly met the Obtainium Works crew of the Neverwas Haul, a three-story drivable Steampunk house, while volunteering at Earth Guardians. Obtainium Works had just relocated to Vallejo in 2012, so when Judi and Eli reached out, the crew happily participated with a fleet of small art cars, including a Steam-powered car made by Kimric Smythe. The event caught the attention of Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, which led to a job organizing the Benicia Art Walk.
Soon after, Eli and Judi joined the Obtainium Works crew, helping with build projects and events. Within time, Cinder Garden became the vendor organizer for Obtainium events, such as the annual Obtainium Cup Contraptor’s Rally. They joined the Neverwas Haul crew for the 2015 BM, which was to be the Haul’s last trip to the playa.
Having purchased a vintage travel trailer as their BM accommodation, Judi and Eli converted the trailer named Betty Dawn, into a mobile Upcycled-Steampunk clothing store. They participated in venues such as Treasure Island Flea, Bay Area Maker Faire and BM pre-compression events, vending used, upcycled and modified clothing. Betty Dawn also served as the Obtainium Works green room at several events.
By December of 2016, Judi and her young son made the permanent move from Vallejo to Kings Beach. Just a week after the move, Judi was recruited to be the Textile Shop Lead of a new makerspace opening in Truckee, The Truckee Roundhouse. She was tasked with setting up the shop, acquiring machines and equipment and developing classes to teach. The Roundhouse expanded in 2019, with a new annex for the Textile and Tech shops. Eli and Judi designed the new space, including engineering specifications, electrical needs and the layout which included space for a massive assortment of upcycled fabric. The Textile shop accepts donations of old fabrics, for student and member use, to keep it out of the landfill.
Since then, Judi has developed classes, curriculum and programs such as Summer Sewing Camp for Kids. During Covid, she created Zoom classes, Youtube videos for students and offered remote zero-contact services such as mask-making fabric deliveries to the Tahoe Forest Hospital sewing group.
Community is an important part of Cinder Garden. Judi and Eli will continue to be fixers at Keep Truckee Green’s Fixit Clinics at Truckee Roundhouse. Judi also teaches a monthly Textile Fix-it Clinic.
In 2021 Eli became an official partner of Cinder Garden by launching Cinder Mountain Designs, to include residential design and planning services. Eli was contracted to serve as the regional associate for The ReUse People (TRP), to coordinate donations of used materials and appliances of local remodel projects. Cinder Mountain slowly ramped up into doing residential design, ADU designs and building from scratch in California, Nevada and Oregon.
In 2022 after a two-year break during Covid, the Truckee Maker Show Leadership team recruited Judi and Eli to help reimagine the event. Cinder Garden designed the layout, reached out to the maker community for activity leaders and vendors and added elements from the Bay Area Maker Faire.
Wanting to add dynamics of upcycled art to the event, they invited Obtainium Works to join Truckee Roundhouse’s Maker Show. The goal was to build community art programs centered around the central theme of adaptive reuse through Urban art, so the Robot Rumble program was created. Robot Rumble combines upcycling, art making, fabricating and S.T.E.A.M. to create a DIY community robot wars project. Robot Rumble took center stage at the 2023 return of the Bay Area Maker Faire hosted on Mare Island, in Vallejo, home of Obtainium Works. A series of Robot Rumble workshops are in the works for Truckee Roundhouse.
In late 2024, Cinder Garden Designs contracted with the Town of Truckee’s Keep Truckee Green to develop a Weatherization pilot program for low to middle income homes. The pilot is scheduled to be launched in Summer of 2025.
Cinder Garden is committed to building a strong, safe and sustainable community, by empowering, educating and hopefully inspiring others to get involved and participate.
Cinder Garden Designs 