Blog - Cotton & Flax

Erin Dollar

Inside my Sketchbook

I have been debating whether to share pages from my sketchbook for a while, ever since I promised to share the behind the scenes of Cotton & Flax, even the not so glamorous stuff. The thing is, I feel like I have a very warped perspective of what an artist’s sketchbook is supposed to look like. I would see beautiful sketchbooks on Book By Its Cover and think, “Is that what my sketchbook should look like?! Those sketchbooks look so perfect, filled with lots of finished drawings and paintings!” I started to feel bad that my sketchbooks almost never feature any finely polished drawings.


For me, the sketchbook is where I work out “problems.” Where I develop new ideas and practice new techniques. I allow myself to be weird and messy in my sketchbook because it frees me to work without worry. It might not always be pretty to look at, but I look at my sketchbook less as an art piece in and of itself, and more as a tool that I use to create my own art.


Ultimately, I wanted to share these pages to erase any doubt that my designs just pop into my head as finished patterns. It takes me quite a while to develop the final patterns, and my sketchbook is a huge part of that process. Do you keep a sketchbook? Do you share it with anyone? Would love to hear what my creative readers use their notebooks for!

Purl Bee DIY Projects

Have you heard of the Purl Bee? It’s a craft blog created by Purl Soho, an awesome fabric and yarn shop in NYC. They publish tons of DIY projects and ideas for you to knit, crochet, sew, stitch and more. I don’t knit or crochet anymore, so I go straight for the sewing projects, and the tutorials I’ve tried have been fantastic! They do a great job showing you the details of each step, and they even show you where you can buy the supplies for most projects.

Above are some of my favorite projects featured on the Purl Bee blog. From top left, clockwise: Adjustable, Unisex Apron / Flying Geese Mini Quilt / Twenty Minute Tote / Summertime Wallet / Sewing on a Button / Zippered Dopp Kitt

Shop update – Pillows

Just wanted to mention that I updated my shop with a few new pillows, some of which will be joining the Winter/Spring Collection, and some of which will not be produced again. I loved making the neon pink pillows, but decided that ultimately, I didn’t want to add them to my next collection. The three pink pillows that are available are the last I’ll make, but I’ve got lots of other fun additions in the works.

Print of the Week – Etching by Tara Donovan

This print astounds me. Tara Donovan’s softly patterned etching was created using a ferric chloride solution (an etching corrosive), combined with liquid bubble soap. According to Greg Kucera gallery, which represents Donovan:

“[she] used a straw to blow air into this mixture, making different size bubbles that she carefully picked up with a plastic spoon and laid on the aquatinted plates. The bubbles were left on the plates until they popped or dissolved, allowing the ferric chloride to etch the surface of the plate.When Tara completed the process of applying bubbles to each plate, the acid residue and rosin were cleaned off the plate and then printed. The variety of dark to light bubble images was achieved by controlling the saturation of liquid in each bubble.”

Donovan’s process blows my mind, and I find the imagery to be very appealing as well. Learn more about her work at Pace Prints, or Greg Kucera Gallery.

FELIZ

I’ve been keeping a secret… I’m excited to share that I’ll be one of the featured makers at the Feliz Holiday Sale in Austin, TX on November 4th!


I was thrilled when Feliz co-creators Abby Powell and Natalie Davis invited me to be part of their amazing event. Feliz is a weekend-long event which begins with an artist meet and greet, then proceeds to a day of workshops, where you can make anything from beautiful jewelry, to richly dyed fabrics, to hand printed papers. Feliz will culminate in a small sale with a select group of makers from all over the country. Feliz Holiday Sale will be Sunday, November 4th, at the Palm Door, which makes it a perfect opportunity to start your holiday shopping.

On a personal note, I have so much respect for Abby and Natalie’s vision for this event. They are approaching the whole weekend with a level of enthusiasm and professionalism that I find invigorating. Abby was a co-host for Little Winter Market, another delightful handmade holiday market that happened in Portland in 2010. With that success under her belt, she’s determined to bring a curated selection of handmade goods to the people of Austin. She and Natalie have a passion for the handmade community that is not matched by many, and I could not be more excited to be a small part of this big undertaking.
You can read more about Feliz here, and check out my Maker feature on the Feliz blog.