It’s been a year and a half since I moved Cotton & Flax from Los Angeles to San Diego, and I’m excited to share one of the year’s biggest developments: a brand new retail shop! This is the flagship store for Cotton & Flax, after six years of studio life. It’s been a labor of love to get the store set up, and I can’t wait to show you the details.
Abigail Grey visited the shop to take some photos last month ⏤ see the shop through her lens below!
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After sharing my favorite fabric retailers last year, I thought it would be helpful to highlight the best online fabric stores, including a few that will be carrying my new collection, Arroyo! Knowing where to buy fabric online opens the doors to so many DIY projects – everything from reupholstering a chair, to sewing your own throw pillows. You may even be thinking about sewing some holiday gifts!
I love to browse through an independent fabric shop – nothing beats the feeling of running your hands over bolts of fabric. If you can shop for fabric in person, it’s a great way to check the color, weight, and drape, and to discover new fabric designers you’ve never seen before.
Unfortunately, many indie fabric stores have closed over the past few years, so many of us don’t have a local fabric shop in our area anymore. If this is the case for you, I’m happy to share my tips and sources to buy fabric online, so you can find beautiful fabrics from anywhere. If you’re not sure where to buy fabric online, I’ve got a list of 17 of my favorite online fabric stores below….
2017 has been a pretty crazy year so far, and many of us are re-examining our self-care routines, and looking for ways to relax and enjoy more time at home. It feels like a perfect time to bring back a fresh batch of our linen lavender sachets, made in collaboration with Minor Thread.
As always, our lavender sachets are made with organic lavender, and handmade in California. For this batch, we’ve chosen eight fabrics from the new Arroyo collection to create the sachets ⏤ a rainbow of naturally scented sachets to bring life to your linen closet or bedside table. Find all the new sachets in the shop!
This month, I’m thrilled to be partnering with The Crafter’s Box, to bring you another fun workshop: Stenciled Linen Throw Blankets! This is my second time collaborating with The Crafter’s Box for an online workshop, and I still love their format: you receive a box of high-quality craft materials in the mail, and log-in to enjoy the online workshop at your own pace. If you’ve been curious about stenciling on fabric, or creating your own large-scale designs on fabric, this is the workshop for you!
The Crafter’s Box is different than a lot of other creative workshops out there. They focus on workshops led by experts, who guide you through every step of a creative project, and provide live feedback during a monthly maker chat in their forums. The materials they send for each project are always beautiful — this month, we’ll be sending a gorgeous flax linen throw, which will look beautiful with the vibrant cobalt blue and black inks we’re including for the project. It can be used as a blanket, or a tablecloth for all your summer adventures!
I hope you’ll join me for this workshop! You can sign up from today through June 20th — after that, enrollment closes, so they can pack up your boxes, and get them delivered in July. It’s a short sign-up window, so don’t delay. I can’t wait to see what you’ll create!
I have two new pillow designs debuting this week at ICFF in New York, as part of an exhibition called Make Use, which was co-curated by JOIN Design and Rejuvenation. This exhibition is part of NYCxDesign, a multi-week celebration of global design that takes place yearly in New York.
Make Use will debut a new collection of objects for the home from 14 West Coast-based studios. Our design philosophy for this collection was rooted in simple, natural materials, and designs that celebrate the maker’s hand, and honor the everyday. My new designs, a pair of wool felt pillows, sewn in a patchwork design from scraps of felt that I had saved from other projects, combines my design values of high-quality materials and a no-waste studio environment.
I’m delighted to be featured in an exhibition that celebrates straightforward design and the beauty in utility associated with West Coast Craftsmanship. If you’re in New York for ICFF, stop by booth #233 and check out my new work!
I’ve talked about my commitment to running a environmentally-friendly studio in the past, and I’ve continued to look for ways to improve my no-waste approach to production for Cotton & Flax. I’ve been lucky to find some amazing partners in that effort, including my newest collaborator: Caitlin Topham from Salty Oat!
Caitlin has been creating beautiful wall quilts from Cotton & Flax scraps, and I absolutely love the results. She does a great job of finding the perfect project for even the smallest scraps that I send her.
I love seeing a new piece of art come to life using fabric that would have otherwise been wasted, and her beautiful approach to modern quilting has led to some gorgeous pieces that I’d be proud to display in my home.
Check out the available quilts from our collaboration, and visit the Salty Oat shop to learn more about Caitlin’s work.
