Print and Pattern

Free Patterned iPhone Wallpaper – Scout Books Edition

May 27, 2015

It’s been a while since I released a new downloadable iPhone wallpaper, so today I have a treat! I’ve transformed three of the designs I created for my recent collaboration with Scout Books into iPhone wallpaper designs, which are free to download. Add a pop of pattern to your phone!

Download for iPhone 6: blue rain pattern // gold squiggle pattern // dense dash pattern

Download for iPhone 6+: blue rain pattern // gold squiggle pattern // dense dash pattern

To Download: Click the appropriate link above and it will take you directly to the image. If you are on your phone, you can simply save the image to your phone, and set it as your wallpaper in the settings area of your phone.

These wallpapers should work for many phones, not just the iPhone (although it may get cropped depending on the screen size). You can always browse our other free wallpapers from previous months, too!

New Patterned Notebooks – A Collaboration with Scout Books

May 18, 2015

They’ve been months in the making, and today I finally get to debut seven new patterned notebooks, created in collaboration with Scout Books! The collection includes six pocket-sized notebooks in light blue and gold ochre, as well as one larger sized gold ochre notebook, with different patterns printed on each. It’s a great collection of my favorite patterns from recent collections, as well as a few new designs that have never been seen before.

I had so much fun working on these notebooks, it was my first foray into paper goods in several years. The folks at Scout Books are total pros, and they even let me tour their headquarters in Portland last month. They have worked with so many of my favorite illustrators and designers on custom projects — I feel honored to be part of their roster of designs for 2015.

I’m excited to share that for each notebook purchased in May, I’ll be making a $1 donation to 826LA, to support their after-school tutoring program here in LA. I hope to raise as much money as possible to help 826LA in their mission of supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Visit their site to learn more about 826LA, and see the benefits of their after-school tutoring program for LA youth!

Creating patterned notebooks with Scout Books

May 16, 2015

If you follow Cotton & Flax on social media, you may have seen previews of a new product that debuts on Monday: patterned pocket-sized notebooks! I was so excited to partner with Scout Books to expand their collection of artist-designed notebooks, and to add these new pieces to the Cotton & Flax collection.

While I was in Portland in April, I met with the team at Scout Books as we worked to put the finishing touches on our collaboration. I had the pleasure of touring the Scout Books headquarters, and getting a look behind the scenes in their offices and workshop. You may have seen the photos I took over on Instagram, and Meg from Scout Books sent over a few extra photos for me to share.

Scout Books creates custom notebooks using 100% recycled papers in their SE Portland studio. After combing their archives, I was impressed with the wide variety of projects they’ve taken on over the years – so many awesome notebooks designs created in collaboration with some of my favorite artists!

The collection we created for this collaboration consists of seven notebooks, four gold and three light blue. The team at Scout Books worked with me to match the gold ochre and light blue inks with the fabrics I use for my collection. After looking around the Scout Books studio, I was really impressed with how efficient their setup is. It was so cool to see the presses in action, and to see how the notebooks were made.

The new notebooks will officially debut in the shop on Monday! If you’re planning to attend the National Stationery Show in New York this week, stop by booth #1340 to say hello to the Scout Books team, and see these notebooks in person. I’m a huge stationery nerd, so I wish I could be there in person – instead, I’ll just be cheering from the sidelines, and following along on Instagram.

Don’t forget to sign up for email updates, so you’ll be first to know when the new notebooks go on sale.

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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Patterned Tote Bag Workshop in Los Angeles

March 23, 2015

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%!

New Tea Towels in the Shop!

March 17, 2015

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.”

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.

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.