Blog - Cotton & Flax

Inspiration

My new favorite magazine: Anthology

Anthology Magazine

Last week I took a quick trip up to Portland to visit family, my first long weekend off from work in quite a while. My friend Laura gifted me a few back issues of Anthology Magazine a while back, and I spent the two hour flight perusing them. I don’t normally find flying to be all that luxurious (maybe I’d feel differently if I rode in first class, instead of crammed into a middle seat in the second-to-last row, seated next to two armrest hogs…), but something about kicking back with a magazine makes me feel like I’m on vacation. The fact that Anthology happens to be beautifully designed and wonderfully inspirational is just the icing on the cake.

Screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-10.45.41-AM-575x573

Anthology is a shelter and lifestyle magazine, founded by Anh-Minh Le and Meg Mateo Ilasco, that takes a narrative approach to its coverage of home decor, travel, design, entertaining, and culture. I love the peeks into beautiful homes, they feature so many different styles of decor and each new home they feature feels fresh and unexpected. I loved reading the article about Jenny and Joseph Conway’s home in Portland, Maine, which captured all the unique details of their small space. I loved the honesty of that piece, the way they shared how their home has come together over the years through scavenging and collecting things from around their community.

Anthology Magazine

Now that I’m back from my trip, I’m hoping to get my hands on the newest issue of Anthology. Are there any other new magazines I should check out? What do you like to read on vacation?

Why wool felt coasters beat ceramic coasters (the answer may surprise you!)

Cotton & Flax coasters

A few weeks ago, I took some time to detail how Cotton & Flax coasters are made. One thing I didn’t really dig into is why Cotton & Flax coasters are made from 100% merino wool felt. It comes down to a few different reasons, some more obvious than others.

I prefer to use natural materials. If you’ve read this blog before, you’re probably noticed that my love for natural fibers has no end. They are often the most sustainable option (especially when compared with fabrics and materials made using petroleum or plastics), and I prefer to use natural materials in homegoods, because who wants something in their home that might be leaching or offgassing a toxic chemical? Not me. I prefer to stick with natural fibers, which are kinder to humans, and then environment as a whole.

gold coasters

I also love the huge range of colors available to me when using fibers. Wood and ceramic options just didn’t measure up in terms of the wide variety of color options.

Finally, I just love the experience of using them. I’ve had customers tell me that they prefer the wool felt coasters just because they are quieter. Imagine that! Comparing the experience of setting an icy glass down onto a ceramic coaster, and onto a Cotton & Flax wool felt coaster – there’s really no contest. The wool felt muffles the sound, and protects your furniture just as efficiently. There are lots of other reasons to prefer felt coasters, but those subtle improvements are really the biggest reason to make the switch.

Taking a break with a summer cocktail

Cotton & Flax coasters

I’ve been hard at work preparing for Renegade Craft Fair the last few weeks, which means long hours cutting fabric, silkscreen printing, sewing, and ironing. Don’t get me wrong – I love my work, and the feeling of flow I get while I’m working is incredibly fulfilling – but it’s also pretty exhausting when I am preparing for a big show.

moscow muleOne of the hardest things about that grueling schedule is that LA has been pretty darn hot lately, getting into the mid 90’s most days. I drink lots of ice water during the day to stay cool (the AC unit in the studio is unreliable, to put it nicely), but in the evenings, I’ve been cooling off with my favorite cocktail, a Moscow Mule. While I don’t drink it in a copper cup, which is apparently the traditional presentation, it’s just as cool and refreshing in a regular glass.

The recipe is simple: 1/2 ounce lime juice, a few ice cubes, 2 oz. vodka, and 4-6 oz. ginger beer (not ginger ale)

I may even make a non-alcoholic version to enjoy during the day! A little sparkling ginger lemonade sounds pretty good as well. If you have a drink to recommend to help me stay cool, let me know in the comments!

Southern California Breakfast

so cal breakfast

Going out for a light breakfast is one of my favorite treats. I don’t go as often as I did when I lived in Portland (a city where the breakfast options are legendary), but since I moved to Los Angeles in 2011, I’ve found quite a few local favorites to add to my breakfast routine. Here are a few of my favorite local treats.

1. Handsome Roasters Coffee – so delicious it doesn’t need cream or sugar
2 & 3. Small espresso cup and Mug from Heath Ceramics – each piece is made in CA
4. Cotton & Flax coasters – handmade in Los Angeles, of course
5. Sqirl Jam* – the Seascape Strawberry & Rose Geranium is my favorite flavor, best on a thick slice of brioche toast
6. Moon Juice – Their flavors are amazing, and the juices are freshly cold-pressed from 100% organic fruits and veggies

*I’m feeling extra motivated to try different flavors of Sqirl Jam after attending a recent Creative Mornings event where the owner of Sqirl, Jessica Koslow, was a speaker. She spoke with so much passion about her work, I love encountering other creative folks who are pursuing work that they love.

Feeling inspired – Louise Bourgeois

Louise BourgeoisHave you seen the fabric works of Louise Bourgeois? I have seen a few of her sculptural works in museums, as well as some of her prints and drawings, but never her fabric works. I would love to see these pieces in person, especially the textile book (which you see disassembled and displayed along a gallery wall in the final photo).

Louise BourgeoisLouise BourgeoisLoise BourgeoisFeeling very inspired by these pieces lately, especially as I ponder how to use up small scraps from Cotton & Flax projects.

Weekend Fun – Indigo Dyeing Workshop

Lookout and WonderlandBeautiful indigo curtains by Niki Livingston

I participated in an awesome workshop over the weekend, led by Bari Ziperstein and Niki Livingston, which taught the basics of Indigo dying and traditional Shibori techniques. I learned so much in just a few hours, and left the class with a simple tea towel that I dyed using a simple resist (using just chopsticks and rubber bands!)

indigo folding

Prepping the fabrics for dyeing using traditional Shibori folding techniques.

indigo

Dipping the fabric into the vat of indigo dye.

indigo

Letting the indigo oxidize (it goes from brilliant green to blue as the dye touches the air).

morning indigo class

indigo

Our finished tea towels. Zac’s turned out so much more complex than mine, I was a little jealous!

I hope to do classes like this more often – there are so many different traditional textile methods that I want to learn. If you live in LA, I would highly recommend taking an indigo class with Niki, she was a great teacher!