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Erin Dollar

Using Up the Scraps – Maintaining a Green Studio

April 14, 2015

Cotton & Flax scraps

Many of the decisions that I make while I’m designing for Cotton & Flax are fueled by my love for the environment and my interest in sustainable design. I work hard to create as little waste as possible in my projects, but inevitably there are small scraps of leftover fabric, which I store in the studio, hoping that I’ll find a use for them.

In an attempt to make use of these small scraps, I’m collaborating with a local LA maker to create a brand new product for the Cotton & Flax shop, which I’m excited to debut in just a matter of days! I also reached out to some of my favorite textile artists, to see if they might have a use for some felt scraps in their work. While a zero waste studio is a lofty goal, I’m excited to find new ways to creatively reuse fabric that would otherwise be discarded.

This is one of the great things about being a small business (tiny, really — the printing studio is just 72 sq feet!); I’m able to be more creative about how I run things behind the scenes, which means I have the ability to make more ecologically sound choices. By keeping the production for Cotton & Flax in-house, I can keep waste to a minimum, and use environmentally friendly materials, like sustainable linens and water-based, non-toxic inks. As the business grows, I’ll be making a conscious effort to partner with manufacturers who can help me produce my work with similar ethical guidelines in place.

I’d love to hear what you think about my effort to maintain a green studio – get in touch on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to let me know what you think!

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, Collaborations Tagged With: no waste studio, sustainability

DIY Personalized Sketchbook

March 30, 2015

Create your own patterned notebooks!

I often experiment with hand-carved stamps to try out new patterns that I’m thinking of adding to the Cotton & Flax collection. It’s a quick and easy process that lets me see results right away, rather than taking time to burn a new silkscreen. I decided to try out a new technique: printing my original patterns on blank notebooks!

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Filed Under: DIY, Print and Pattern

Business advice on Design Sponge

March 26, 2015

Erin Dollar's business advice on Design Sponge

Feeling grateful this week for the opportunity to share my insights into running a small business on Design*Sponge for their Life and Business series. Visit Design*Sponge to read my interview, and learn more about all the ups and downs of running Cotton & Flax (plus, bonus life advice from Tina Fey!).

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes Tagged With: press

Patterned Tote Bag Workshop in Los Angeles

March 23, 2015

lips totebag

For all you LA folks who want to learn about printing patterns on fabric, I’ll be teaching another workshop at Common Thread Studio on April 17th! This class will be focused on creating your own patterned tote bag using hand carved linoleum blocks, and you’ll learn the basics of block printing on fabric in a fun, casual environment.

Sign up on the Common Thread Studio site to reserve a spot in the workshop! If you want to sign up with a friend, use the code BUDDY10 to save 10%!

Filed Under: Events, Print and Pattern Tagged With: Los Angeles

Cotton & Flax for Grace Bonney’s Quarterly Box

March 19, 2015

Cotton & Flax for Quarterly subscription box

I was so pleased to have our charcoal grey plus coasters included in Grace Bonney’s subscription box for Quarterly! It’s been wonderful to see folks sharing their “unboxing” photos on Instagram, this one from Jackie Saik was particularly lovely.

Did you receive this box as a gift? Are you planning to sign up for Grace’s next box, which is curated around the theme of color? Are there other subscription boxes like this that you love? Leave me a note in the comments!

Filed Under: Collaborations

New Tea Towels in the Shop!

March 17, 2015

Cotton & Flax tea towels

Just added some new pieces for Spring: fresh designs of our popular tea towels! You’ll recognize the zig zag pattern from our oblong pillows, but there’s one brand new pattern that debuts today. The name is pretty straightforward; I’m calling it: “Grid.”

Cotton & Flax tea towels

Cotton & Flax tea towels

The Grid pattern evolved from various sketches I’ve done over the past year, and is inspired by California Modernism. I had the Eames Case Study House #8 in mind, as well as artists working in Geometric Abstract or Hard-edge painting styles, like Karl Benjamin and Helen Lundeberg. Sol Lewitt‘s wall drawings were also an influence for the new Grid design.

linen tea towels

I wanted to add these two geometric designs to round out the tea towel collection, which has been missing a hard-edge element since I retired the diamond print tea towel. Hoping you love these new additions! I’m excited to see how you use them in your beautifully modern kitchens.

A big thank you to Jessica Comingore for shooting these beautiful photos of the tea towels – check out more of her work here. We photographed the tea towels on beautiful brass hooks made by our friends at Scout Regalia, another wonderful LA-based design duo.

 

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, Collaborations, Inspiration, Print and Pattern

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A textile designer’s journal

Welcome! I'm Erin Dollar, the textile designer behind Cotton & Flax. I create patterned home decor that's rooted in creative exploration.

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A textile designer’s journal

Welcome! I'm Erin Dollar, the textile designer behind Cotton & Flax. Here I'll share peeks behind the scenes, recent inspirations, decor ideas, and more. Read More…

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