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Explorer Tote Bags – Made with Arroyo

DIY Patterned Tote BagOne of the most exciting things about debuting Arroyo, my first fabric collection with Robert Kaufman, is seeing the finished projects roll in as designers and sewers get their hands on the fabric. These beautiful bags were created by Anna Graham of Noodlehead, using her Explorer Tote pattern. I’m completely obsessed, and while I’ve skipped adding bags to the Cotton & Flax product line until now, these bags have me daydreaming…

Arroyo Explorer Tote BagSeeing other’s creativity shine as they adapt my fabrics in new ways is so exciting — it’s such a pleasure to see artists like Anna integrate my patterns into her designs.

DIY Patterned Tote BagI love all the lovely details in these bags! The gorgeous leather straps, that shiny little clasp… even the contrasting liner fabric is a charming accent. Anna’s tote bag pattern walks you through all the steps of creating this bag, and she’ll guide you in selecting materials that will age beautifully.

DIY Patterned Tote Bag DIY Explorer Tote BagArroyo fabric will be debuting in fabric and sewing stores this summer! Ask your favorite shop if they’ll be carrying it. As more projects start rolling in, I’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well as on Instagram under #ArroyoFabric. I can’t wait to see what you’ll create with this fabric!

Crafter’s Box Pop-Up

DIY Block printed table runner

In case you missed out on my online block printing class when it was available through The Crafter’s Box, it’s available today only through their official pop-up shop! Visit the Crafter’s Box pop-up shop to get exclusive access to my workshop. You’ll receive everything you need to create your own block printed table runner like the one above, and the materials are high-quality, so you’ll be able to reuse the tools for future projects.

Act quickly, because the pop-up shop is one day only! If you’ve created a block printed project after taking an online workshop with me, tag me on Instagram – I’d love to see what you’ve made!

Learn How to Screen Print

How to screen print - DIY silkscreen printing with Cotton & Flax

Screen printing is at the heart of everything I do with Cotton & Flax. If you’ve been curious about how to screen print at home, I’m excited to share my expertise on how to silkscreen your own designs in my new screenprinting class for CreativeLive.

DIY screen printing can be intimidating to creative business owners, but it’s an amazing tool that can allow you to apply your designs to new materials, and see your work come alive. With this introductory online screen printing workshop, I’ll walk you through the entire screen printing process with a DIY workflow, making it accessible and approachable for anyone. You can watch this class anytime, anywhere — once you sign up, you can stream or download the class and learn at your leisure.

How to screen print - DIY silkscreen printing with Cotton & Flax

I get so much joy from sharing my love of printmaking. I hope you’ll join me for a three-hour overview of the silk screen process, where you’ll learn all about how to silkscreen at home:

  • how to create a bold design and transparency that will translate well to printing
  • the best materials and tools for beginners
  • how to create a dark room in your space
  • and best practices to prepare for screen printing at home

When you sign up for my class, you’ll receive bonus content, including a resource guide with sources for all my favorite screen printing supplies and tools. This is the resource list I would have loved when I was first starting out; it will save you tons of time as you search for screenprinting supplies to build your own print studio.

If at this point, you’re wondering, “What is screen printing?” this quick screen printing video will show you the process. These are the same screen printing techniques that I use to create all the patterned fabrics for Cotton & Flax!

Sign up for class here — when you sign up via one of the links here on the blog, you help support Cotton & Flax and encourage me to continue to share my love of printmaking. Don’t forget to tag me on social media when you take the class — I can’t wait to see what you’ll print!

Upcoming workshop at Maker’s Mess!

Learn to block print

Curious about block printing? Join me on April 30th for a fun block printing workshop in LA! I’ll be leading a fabric tote bag printing workshop, where you can meet and mingle with LA creatives, all while learning a new skill.

We provide all the materials and tools you’ll need, just bring your creativity.

Sign up on the Maker’s Mess site today, because space is limited! Can’t wait to print with you!

Block Printing with The Crafter’s Box

In case you missed it last week, I debuted my first online block printing class with The Crafter’s Box! When you sign up for a subscription by 3/20, you’ll receive all the supplies and materials you’ll need to print your own beautiful linen table runner. You’ll get access to an exclusive online video tutorial, where I’ll give you all my tips and tricks for creating beautiful block printed textiles.

If you want to learn to block print on fabric, sign up for The Crafter’s Box now! Enrollment closes on 3/20, so don’t miss out!

Creative Hobbies + New DIY Projects

Block printing DIY project for The Crafter's Box

It’s been a creative whirlwind in the studio lately! After four years of designing and producing textiles for Cotton & Flax, I’ve been branching out in 2016 by taking on projects that are stretching my creative muscles. While I’m still creating lots of new work for Cotton & Flax, this year I wanted to spend time learning some new skills. I love taking up a new creative hobby — it brings fresh ideas to all my creative work!

One way I’ve been trying out new techniques is through a new creative subscription box called The Crafter’s Box. I was introduced to this company last year, and I’ve tried three of their craft projects: Rya Weaving with Maryanne Moodie, marbled clay pots taught by Emily Reinhardt, and this giant arm knitted blanket taught by Elise Blaha.

Beautiful, super thick wool yarn from The Crafters Box

The quality of the materials in every Crafter’s Box has been amazing. Supplies and materials are sent along with instructions for each project, and they source materials from some of the best manufacturers around. The wool roving and yarn was particularly gorgeous, and I’ve been saving up the leftovers from my projects to use for something special.

DIY Table Runner - The Crafter's Box

I’m excited to share that I am partnering with The Crafter’s Box this month to teach block printing! When you sign up for a subscription to The Crafter’s Box, you’ll receive all the materials and supplies you’ll need to create a gorgeous block-printed linen table runner. You’ll gain access to an exclusive video tutorial showing you how to carve a linoleum block, and print a repeat pattern of your own design.

Sign up to receive this block printing kit today, it will only be available to purchase for a week or so! This box is an incredible value, so if you’ve been dying to take one of my classes in LA, now’s your chance to have me beamed into your home studio.

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