The Lutum Roll
Stay dry while doing what you love!
Project Description
Hi, my name's Desiree! The Lutum Travel Mat is the culmination of my year-long journey during COVID. It's a beautiful artisanal blanket that strikes joy but brings water-resistant functionality when used outside for enjoying nature, a bedroll, or picnics. It's made with all-natural, sustainably sourced materials and cloth made by traditional artisans.
The waxed cotton bottom repels mud, moisture, and dirt - the top part can come off and be washed on a cold cycle and hung dry. As the waxed cotton ages, you can refinish it if the wax starts to wear away.
Details:
Rolls Up Easily, has a pocket to store keys, wallets, or other small items.
Two Leather Pull Throughs allow for any size strap, so if you choose to use this in conjunction with a blanket, additional padding, you can still roll it up and secure it with straps.
Two D-Rings connect to a leather adjustable strap.
Two durable YKK Zippers on the sides means no fighting with zippers!
You can use your own padding; it fits a commercial-sized Yoga Mat.
The bottom is made from eco-friendly waxed cotton, and the top is 100% cotton and uses a beautiful piece of Bogolanfini (Mud Cloth) handmade in Mali. We source our mud cloth from a small mom and daughter shop out of LA - the Mud Cloth is made by their family back in Mali.
Backstory:
My name's Desiree; I started a small online store called Dirt Queen SF during the first couple of months of the pandemic. It was my "side hustle." I started it as a small, highly curated supplement shop/wellness store, and the original goal was to grow the online business until COVID calmed down enough to get a retail location - having a health food/vitamin store was a dream I had with my mom when I was little. When the news started blaring about everything COVID, I found myself reminiscing on that small dream. I started to curate supplements that aligned with my values.
My "side hustle" became my full-time hustle in July of 2020 - it's a long story, but I had a very rough year like so many of us. It was a last-minute decision, but on a whim, I sourced some ethically made yoga mat blankets when I was shopping for the store, aka Mexican blankets. I have always had an obsession with textiles, and yoga went hand in hand with the superfood/supplement side of the business.
I applied to an open-air market in September to see if I could get in and do a pop-up booth. I knew I needed to get in front of more people if my business was going to be successful. The online business was slow-growing. Soon, the textiles I curated were quickly some of our best-selling products, and if it weren't for them and our pop-ups, our store wouldn't have made it past the year mark.
I started getting the same questions about blankets, do you have anything waterproof and using all-natural materials - no acrylic or polyester. People really hated wet picnic blankets, and using all-natural materials was extremely important for some customers.
The Lutum Mat is my answer! This first version is 80" x 29.5". I will be coming up with a second version that is 48" x 72". It uses environmentally friendly waxed cotton and ethically sourced mud cloth from a small mom and daughter shop out of LA - sourcing from them helps support their family in Mali. I'm a stickler for quality and know the limits of my sewing skills. So I also found a really great sewing partner here in San Francisco. This guarantees a product that's made with the utmost quality. All of these mats will be handmade and help support some really great values.
I'm doing crowdfunding to help with production costs. This mat may turn into a completely separate venture from Dirt Queen SF or become a flagship product. We have finally gotten past the year mark and are slowly getting "sea legs," but we still run on a very tight budget. Now that we're a year in, I'm refining our inventory and pushing us in a more clear direction. I still have dreams of having a brick-and-mortar presence; I think that having a flagship product will help us get there. We are boot-strapped. By doing crowdfunding, I can make these mats at the quality they need to be and work with our sewing partner, who is open to doing a small(ish) first run. All of the funds from the first 40 mats will be going towards buying materials and labor costs. After the first 40, we'll be donating a portion of each mat sale to IFAM who helps support traditional folk arts (like weaving) and gives incredible opportunities to artisans worldwide. I learned a lot about the struggles of traditional weavers and textile artists over the course of the year.
My longer-term vision includes a program to help get the right types of blankets to local homeless populations. Over the course of the year, I learned about the types of blankets that work best for our most vulnerable populations. They need to be full-sized, lightweight, and dry easily. I want to source ethically and help support two communities I really care about - traditional textile artists and our local most vulnerable populations.
To get started, though, I need some help with this project! Cheers!
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
When will my product ship?
Orders placed before August 27th will be shipping between the first and second week in September this is slightly longer than we originally anticipated - this project truly is all about manufacturing costs - we have been negotiating with our manufacturer so we are able to do a smaller first run. This negotiation slowed down production just a little bit.
- What are the dimensions?
Currently, 29.5" x 80" - we're working on a larger version that's 48" x 72'
- When will my order ship?
Mats will begin to ship the end of August, other rewards should be shipping mid august.
- Where do you source your materials?
The mud cloth we're using currently is sourced from a great mom and daughter shop out of LA, it helps support their family in Mali. The rest of the components are all sourced from here in the USA
What are the dimensions?
80" x 29.5"
How do you wash?
The top part can be machine washed on a gentle cycle, and hung dry or tumbled dry with NO heat.
The wax cotton can have most dirt or debris brushed off - otherwise cleaned using just water and a towel. For bigger stains, saddle wax soap can be used. Wax will be available soon to refinish the mat if the wax wears off from use.
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
Just Because I Care
For everyone who's bought a blanket from us over the past year! Handmade blanket carrier using ethically sourced leather - made by yours truly. I've been working on these and now have it down to a science! These carriers have a handle and an adjustable shoulder strap. They can also be used for Yoga Mats. And name on our backer page.
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
As a HUGE thank you, you'll receive a personal use coupon code that's good for 15% off for life. You'll also get some stickers, and a personal thank you note!
A cute little mushroom pin, a DQSF Sun sticker, and a place forever in our heart. A big virtual high-five and name on our backer page.
Let's be real. I've been riding Clark's coat tails for I don't even know how long now. He's a celebrity in some circles and now you can have your very own Clark stickers. Includes: Holographic Dirt Queen SF sticker, Dirt Queen sun sticker, and five stickers of our biggest celebrity - Clark, a thank you note, virtual high fives. A HUGE shout out to Justin Lewis, who beautifully turned a picture of Clark into the cyborg picture in the middle bottom row. And, of course, your name on our backer page.
Clark Cyborg Sticker by the amazing Justin Lewis
Rewards
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
Just Because I Care
For everyone who's bought a blanket from us over the past year! Handmade blanket carrier using ethically sourced leather - made by yours truly. I've been working on these and now have it down to a science! These carriers have a handle and an adjustable shoulder strap. They can also be used for Yoga Mats. And name on our backer page.
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
Be the first to get the Lutum Mat! Use it on all your adventures from a bedroll, a travel mat, a ground cover, a picnic blanket - the world is yours!
80" x 29.5" - black/white mudcloth with detachable leather carrying strap, and two leather roll up straps.
As a HUGE thank you, you'll receive a personal use coupon code that's good for 15% off for life. You'll also get some stickers, and a personal thank you note!
A cute little mushroom pin, a DQSF Sun sticker, and a place forever in our heart. A big virtual high-five and name on our backer page.
Let's be real. I've been riding Clark's coat tails for I don't even know how long now. He's a celebrity in some circles and now you can have your very own Clark stickers. Includes: Holographic Dirt Queen SF sticker, Dirt Queen sun sticker, and five stickers of our biggest celebrity - Clark, a thank you note, virtual high fives. A HUGE shout out to Justin Lewis, who beautifully turned a picture of Clark into the cyborg picture in the middle bottom row. And, of course, your name on our backer page.
Clark Cyborg Sticker by the amazing Justin Lewis